THE 


\A 


THE  ENTRANCE  PATH. 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

ITS  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTURE 


BY 
ELSA    REHMANN 


With  100  Illustrations 


G.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 
NEW  YORK  AND   LONDON 

Ifcnfcfeerbocfeer  press 

1918 


TV* 


COPYRIGHT,  1918 

BY 

ELSA  REHMANN 


ttbe  ftnfcftetbocfter  f)te00»  "Hew 


IN  MEMORY  OF  MY  FATHER 

CARL  F.  REHMANN 

AN  ARCHITECT 


PREFACE 

THE  idea  for  this  book  grew  out  of  an  intensive 
study  of  the  small  place  from  the  point  of  view 
of  the  landscape  architect.  The  actual  formation 
of  the  book  began  several  years  ago  while  I  was 
still  serving  my  "  apprenticeship"  and  much  of  the 
material  was  gathered  on  the  occasional  journeys 
for  observation  to  town  and  country  with  which 
I  varied  the  work  in  the  office.  During  this  time 
I  have  studied  and  worked  on  large  gardens  and 
rich  estates  and  I  take  unusual  pleasure  in  the  op- 
portunities for  landscape  development  that  they 
offer;  but  the  small  place  still  retains  its  fascination, 
for  its  possibilities,  which  are  generally  overlooked, 
are  infinite,  and  its  limitations, which  are  considered 
as  drawbacks,  ought  to  be  the  very  means  of  its 
making. 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

IT  is  a  great  pleasure  to  make  acknowledgments 
to  those  who  have  contributed  in  so  friendly  a 
manner  to  this  book. 

I  would  thank  the  owners  of  the  places  for  grant- 
ing me  the  privilege  of  visiting  and  discussing  their 
problems.  As  some  desired  that  their  names 
should  not  appear,  I  felt  that  all  must  remain 
anonymous.  In  order  to  make  an  exact  study  and 
an  accurate  analysis  of  each  place,  I  have  made 
many  a  pleasant  little  journey  through  the  space 
of  several  years.  Three  of  the  places  I  have  un- 
fortunately not  seen  but  through  a  practice  in  the 
reading  of  plans,  reports,  and  pictures  I  have  been 
able  to  interpret  the  spirit  of  these  places  accu- 
rately enough  to  satisfy  the  designers. 

Acknowledgments  are  due  The  Garden  Magazine 
and  House  and  Garden.  The  chapters  on  the 
designs  by  Miss  Coffin,  Miss  Clark,  Mr.  Paul,  Mr. 
Davis,  and  the  Olmsted  Brothers  appear  for  the 
first  time,  but  the  chapter  on  Mr.  Manning's  prob- 

vii 


ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 

lem  appeared  in  a  1913  number  of  The  Garden 
Magazine  and  the  rest  of  the  chapters  appeared  in 
House  and  Garden  during  1915  and  1916.  Since 
their  publication  as  magazine  articles,  these  chap- 
ters have  undergone  considerable  revision  and  ap- 
pear now  in  a  more  complete  form. 

For  the  renderings  of  the  plans  I  am  indebted  to 
Mr.  B.  Y.  Morrison. 

I  greatly  appreciate  the  opportunity  that  this 
book  has  given  me  of  widening  my  acquaintance- 
ship among  landscape  architects.  I  regret  that 
more  members  of  the  profession  could  not  be  re- 
presented in  this  book,  for  many,  who  were  willing 
to  be  of  assistance  and  who  have  given  freely  of 
their  time,  had  nothing  immediately  available  for 
my  use.  I  am  happy  that,  despite  the  self-imposed 
limitations  of  the  book,  such  a  representative  group 
of  the  profession  have  contributed  to  it.  To  those, 
whose  small  problems  have  helped  to  make  this 
book  possible,  I  would  express  my  warmest  grati- 
tude for  their  cordiality,  cooperation,  and  encour- 
agement. 


vin 


INTRODUCTION 

I  HAVE  selected  fifteen  problems  in  landscape 
architecture  to  show  in  a  simple  and  popular  man- 
ner the  fundamentals  that  underlie  the  planning 
and  planting  of  the  small  place.  I  have  made  my 
selection  from  the  work  of  landscape  architects, — 
the  majority  of  them  belong  to  the  American 
Society  of  Landscape  Architects, — so  that  each 
problem  would  have  a  logical  plan  and  a  firm 
structural  foundation  with  the  planting  developed 
as  a  decorative  component. 

I  have  taken  great  care  in  the  selection  of  these 
problems.  I  tried  to  use  only  places  that  have  a 
complete  and  well  organized  plan.  It  is  difficult 
to  find  places — especially  small  ones — in  which  all 
the  parts  are  given  a  proportionate  share  in  the 
development  and  where  these  parts  are  grouped  to 
form  a  harmonious  whole,  for  the  attainment  of 
perfection  in  a  plan  or  underlying  structure  is  often 
not  understood  or  entirely  overlooked  by  the  lay- 
man, who  is  only  attracted  by  the  beauty  of  an 

ix 


INTRODUCTION 

individual  plant  or  by  the  gayety  of  a  flower.  A 
perfect  plan  grows,  moreover,  out  of  existing  con- 
ditions, out  of  the  limitations  and  peculiarities  of 
the  site  and  soil,  and  out  of  the  requirements  of  the 
owner  and  of  his  domestic  and  social  needs.  In 
the  few  cases  where  I  have  used  only  a  part  of  a 
complete  layout,  the  part  under  discussion  seemed 
complete  enough  in  itself  to  warrant  it. 

I  have  used  only  problems  which  have  arrived  at 
such  a  degree  of  completion  or  growth  that  the 
designer's  ideas  can  be  easily  grasped  by  the  lay- 
man. I  have  used  only  those  problems  in  which 
the  designer's  ideas  have  been  actually  carried  out. 
In  search  of  these  I  have  made  many  a  useless 
journey,  for  many  of  the  places  that  I  visited  had 
been  either  entirely  neglected  or  never  completed 
or  changed  out  of  recognition.  The  design  is  sel- 
dom altogether  lost  but  the  planting  is  often  sub- 
ject to  changes,  for  the  client  seldom  realizes  that 
in  a  carefully  considered  plan  each  plant  has  its 
special  value  in  the  development  of  the  entire 
scheme. 

No  matter  how  much  thought  and  ingenuity  the 
landscape  architect  expends  in  evolving  a  layout, 
it  is  a  matter  of  time  and  growth  before  the  pic- 
tures in  the  designer's  mind  materialize.  It  is, 

x 


INTRODUCTION 

therefore,  very  essential  that  the  owner  is  willing 
to  cooperate  sympathetically  with  the  designer, 
to  obtain  a  comprehensive  understanding  of  what 
the  design  means  and  of  what  the  ultimate  re- 
sults are  to  be.  It  is  to  such  cooperation  that 
Mr.  DeForest,  for  instance,  lays  the  success  of  his 
design. 

It  is  of  equal  importance — especially  in  the  case 
of  flower  planting — that  the  client  understands  the 
worth  of  the  designer's  supervision,  not  only  while 
the  work  is  being  done  but  also  during  its  growth. 
A  share  in  the  success  of  Miss  Coffin's  problem  is 
due  to  the  owner's  appreciation  of  the  need  of  her 
occasional  visits  of  inspection — several  are  made 
each  year — when  all  the  little  planting  details  are 
looked  after  so  that  the  garden  retains  its  perennial 
charm  without  a  single  lapse. 

These  fifteen  problems  are  of  such  diversity  in 
design  and  planting  that  they  exhibit  many  prin- 
ciples of  landscape  art  as  they  are  applied  to  the 
small  place.  They  emphasize  the  fact  that  while 
all  problems  are  governed  by  the  same  laws,  each 
demands  an  individual  treatment.  I  considered 
it  valuable,  therefore,  to  give  a  chapter  to  each 
problem.  Each  chapter  is  illustrated  with  a  plan 
and  with  enough  pictures  to  vivify  the  essential 

xi 


INTRODUCTION 

points  of  each  problem.  The  description  of  the 
planting  is  given  in  detail  for  the  discussion  of  con- 
crete examples  seems  of  greater  value  than  mere 
generalities.  I  hope  that  the  reader,  as  he  studies 
each  problem  in  its  entirety,  will,  perchance,  con- 
ceive his  own  property  as  one  complete  and  con- 
sistent design  and  shape  its  individuality  according 
to  the  laws  of  landscape  art. 


xii 


Areas    in    lawn    or  grass 
Areas    in   flower/-  t 

e5brub/  CTCS)  Tree;  O  Hedge/ 
Wdll/    by   double  line  or 
if   of    rubble  con/truction 
wi&    /tep/ 


or  ifeu/  to  denote   jtone  fldg/ 
Arbor/   ^  Pergolaj      WBtU  *" 
HoujeJ"  are  shown 

in  roof   Wdn  -    S^^J-^I  Pool/ 


THE  KEY  TO  THE  PLANS. 
The  arrows  on  the  plans  indicate  the  point  of  view  of  the  photographs. 


CONTENTS 

PROBLEM   I 

PAGE 

Design  by  SIBLEY  C.  SMITH,  Landscape  Architect     .         3 
A  Comprehensive  Lay  out  for  a  City  Property. 

PROBLEM   II 

Design  by  PRAY,  HUBBARD,  and  WHITE,  Landscape 

Architects.          .          .          .          .          .  17 

A  Complete  Layout — Within  Small  Dimensions. 

PROBLEM   III 

Design  by  E.  GORTON  DAVIS,  Landscape  Architect     .       29 
An  Informal  A  rrangement  of  a  Wooded  Property. 

PROBLEM   IV 

Design  by  ARTHUR  A.  SHURTLEFF,  Landscape  Archi- 
tect   39 

A    Colonial   Fore-court  and  Garden  of  a   Farm- 
house. 

PROBLEM   V 

Design  by  OLMSTED  B  ROTHERS  ,  Landscape  Architects       47 
The  Planting  of  an  Approach  and  Drive  Turn. 

xiii 


CONTENTS 

PROBLEM  VI 

PAGE 

Design  by  PRAY,  HUBBARD,  and  WHITE,  Landscape 

Architects 55 

A  Simple  Home-ground. 

PROBLEM  VII 

Design  by  WARREN  H.  MANNING,  Landscape  Designer      63 
A    Simple  Home-ground    on    a    Small    Wooded 
Hillside. 

PROBLEM  VIII 

Design  by  HAROLD  A.  CAPARN,  Landscape  Architect  .       73 
An  Informal  Arrangement  of  a   Small   Property 
near  the  Water. 

PROBLEM   IX 

Design  by  OGLESBY  PAUL,  Landscape  Architect.          85 
A  Formal  Arrangement  of  a  Suburban  Property. 

PROBLEM   X 

Design  by  ALLING  S.  DEFOREST,  Landscape  Architect      95 
A  Naturalistic  Arrangement  of  a  City  Property. 

PROBLEM   XI 

Design  by  MARIAN  C.  COFFIN,  Landscape  Architect  .     107 
A  Naturalistic  Garden — A  Study  in  Flower  Color. 

PROBLEM   XII 

Design  by  ELIZABETH  BOOTES  CLARK,  Landscape 

Architect 121 

The  Terraced  Garden  of  a  Country  Place. 
xiv 


CONTENTS 
PROBLEM  XIII 

PAGE 

Design  by  ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG,  Landscape 

Architect I31 

A  Small  Property  with  Two  Gardens. 

PROBLEM  XIV 

Design  by  CHARLES  N.  LOWRIE,  Landscape  Architect    145 
An  Old  Place — Redesigned. 

PROBLEM   XV 

Design  by  PRENTICE  SANGER,  Landscape  Architect     .     1 53 
A  Hillside  Property  in  a  New  England  Town. 


xv 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

THE  ENTRANCE  PATH        .         .         .      Frontispiece 

THE  KEY  TO  THE  PLANS xii 

PROBLEM  I. 

THE  PLAN 4 

1.  THE  DRIVE 5 

2.  THE  GARDEN  SEEN  FROM  THE  LAWN  .         .  8 

3.  THE  GARDEN  IN  TULIP  TIME      ...  9 

4.  THE  TERRACE 10 

5.  THE  ARCH  BETWEEN  THE  BACK  LAWN  AND 

THE  TERRACE 1 1 

PROBLEM  II. 

THE  PLAN 18 

1.  THE  GROUNDS  SEEN  FROM  THE  STREET        .  19 

2.  THE  ENCLOSURE 19 

3.  THE  VESTIBULE 20 

4.  THE  ENTRANCE  PATH         .        .         .         .21 

5.  THE  LAWN 22 

6.  THE  FENCE 22 

7.  THE  GARDEN 23 

xvii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

PROBLEM  III. 

THE  PLAN         .        .        ...  30 

1.  THE  STREET  VIEW  OF  THE  GROUNDS  .         .  31 

2.  THE  GATE  TO  THE  TERRACE    :  .         .         .  32 

3.  IN  FRONT  OF  THE  HOUSE, — INSIDE  OF  THE 

CEDAR  HEDGE         .         .         ,         .         .  32 

4.  THE  GATE  OF  THE  OUTSIDE  GARDEN  .         .  33 

5.  INSIDE  THE  GATE  OF  THE  TERRACE  WITH  A 

GLIMPSE  OF  THE  HOUSE  ACROSS  THE  ROAD   .  33 

6.  THE  TERRACE 34 

7.  THE  WOODS 35 

PROBLEM  IV. 

THE  PLAN 40 

1.  THE  FORECOURT         .         .         .  v     .       "  .  41 

2.  THE  GARDEN 42 

3.  THE  THREE  LEVELS  OF  THE  GARDEN           .  43 

4.  THE  GARDEN  SEEN  FROM  THE  HOUSE          .  44 

5.  THE  SHELTERED  SEAT         ....  45 

6.  ONE  OF  THE  GATEWAYS      ....  45 

PROBLEM  V. 

THE  PLAN .48 

1.  THE  GREAT  BEECH    .         .         .  -49 

2.  THE  DRIVE  NEARING  THE  HOUSE        .         .  49 

3.  AT  THE  ENTRANCE  PORCH  ....  50 

xviii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


4.  THE  HOUSE       ......  50 

5.  INSIDE  THE  OVAL       .         .         .  51 

6.  NEAR  THE  GATE         .         .         .         .         .51 

7.  THE  RHODODENDRONS         ....  52 

PROBLEM  VI. 

A  BIRD'S-EYE  VIEW  OF  THE  GROUNDS         .  56 

PROBLEM  VII. 

THE  PLAN          ......  64 

1.  THE  STREET  VIEW     .....  65 

2.  AT  THE  SIDE  OF  THE  HOUSE       ...  66 

3.  THE  LAWN         ......  67 

4.  THE  GLADE        ......  68 

5.  THE  DRIVE  THROUGH  THE  WOODS       .         .  69 

PROBLEM  VIII. 

THE  PLAN          ......  74 

1.  THE  STREET  VIEW     .....  75 

2.  THE  ENTRANCE  GATE          ....  76 

3.  THE  ENTRANCE  PORCH        ....  76 

4.  THE  LAWN         ......  77 

5.  THE  TERRACE    ......  78 

6.  THE  PERGOLA    ......  79 

7.  THE  APPLE  TREE       .....  80 

8.  THE  SHRUBBERY  PATH       .         .         .         .81 

xix 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

PROBLEM  IX. 

THE  PLAN         .        .  *       >        .         .      86 

1.  THE  HOUSE       .         .  .        .         .         .87 

2.  THE  PERGOLA    .         .  .                 .         .88 

3.  THE  POOL          .         .  .         .        ".         .      88 

4.  THE  LAWN 89 

5.  THE  SEAT  IN  THE  WALL  ....       89 

6.  THE  SHRUBBERY  PATH  ....       90 

7.  THE  EVERGREEN  PATH  .         .         .         .90 

8.  THE  GATE  IN  THE  WALL,  WITH  A  GLIMPSE  OF 

THE  SEMICIRCULAR  SEAT  IN  THE  SHADOW   .       91 

PROBLEM  X. 

THE  PLAN          .         .         .         .         .         .96 

1.  THE  ENTRANCE  PATH  97 

2.  THE  SERVICE  DRIVE 98 

3.  THE  SOUTH  LAWN 99 

4.  THE  PATH  BETWEEN  THE  LAWN  AND  THE 

WILD  GARDEN 102 

5.  THE  WILD  GARDEN 103 

PROBLEM  XL 

THE  PLAN 108 

1.  THE  PEONY  WALK 109 

2.  THE  MAIN  GARDEN  PATH  .         .         .         .no 

3.  THE  IRIS  BEDS in 

xx 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

4.  STANDARD     LILACS     AND     TREE     PEONIES 

MARKED  THE  INTERSECTION  OF  THE  PATHS 

BEFORE  THE   ARBOR  WAS   BUILT  .  .Ill 

5.  THE  MAIN  LAWN 112 

6.  THE  PURPLE  AND  YELLOW  BORDER     .         .113 

7.  THE  PURPLE  AND  YELLOW  BORDER  WHEN 

THE    TULIPS,     DORONICUMS,     CAMASSIAS, 
AND  GROUND  COVERS  ARE  ALL  IN  BLOOM      .     114 

8.  THE  PINK  BORDER  WHEN  THE   CRAB  APPLES 

AND  THE  TULIPS  ARE  IN  BLOOM       .          .     115 

9.  THE  WHITE  BORDER           .         .         .         .116 
10.    THE  SHADY  PATH 117 

PROBLEM  XII. 

THE  PLAN 122 

1.  THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN    .         .         .123 

2.  THE  ENTRANCE  FROM  THE  MEADOW    .         .124 

3.  THE  TERRACE 124 

4.  BETWEEN  THE  Two  COLOR  GARDENS  .     125 

5.  THE  BLUE  AND  YELLOW  GARDEN        .         .126 

6.  THE  PASTEL  GARDEN          .         .         .         .126 

7.  ANOTHER  VIEW  OF  THE  BLUE  AND  YELLOW 

GARDEN 127 

PROBLEM  XIII. 

THE  PLAN 132 

1.  THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  FORMAL  GARDEN       .     133 

2.  THE  FORMAL  GARDEN         .         .         .         .134 

xxi 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PAGE 


3.  THE  LONGER  Axis  OF  THE  FORMAL  GARDEN    135 

4.  AT  THE  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  INFORMAL  GARDEN    138 

5.  IN  THE  INFORMAL  GARDEN          ,         .         .139 

PROBLEM  XIV. 

THE  PLAN         .         .         .         ...     146 

1.  THE  GARDEN 147 

2.  THE  TEA  HOUSE        .         .  .         .     148 

3.  INSIDE  THE  TEA  HOUSE     .         .         .         .148 

4.  THE  LONG  PATH 149 

5.  THE  PERGOLA 149 

PROBLEM  XV. 

THE  PLAN 154 

1.  THE  HOUSE       .         .         .         .         .         .     155 

2.  THE  TURN-AROUND 156 

3.  THE  SERVICE  COURT  AND  GARAGE      .         .156 

4.  THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  GARDEN    .         .         .157 

5.  THE  TERRACE  AND  THE  GARDEN         .         .     158 

6.  THE  POOL 158 

7.  THE  SEMICIRCULAR  SEAT    .         .         .         .159 

8.  THE  GATEWAY 159 


xxn 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 


PROBLEM  I 


PROBLEM  I 

A  COMPREHENSIVE  LAYOUT  FOR  A  CITY  PROPERTY,  BY 

SIBLEY  C.  SMITH,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

This  property  is  located  at  Providence,  R.  I.     Its  dimensions 
are  140  x  209  feet 

THE  development  of  this  city  lot  illustrates  the 
comprehensive  use  that  can  be  made  of  a 
small  piece  of  ground.  The  house  stands  in  the 
very  center  of  the  property.  There  is  a  drive  on 
the  north  side  which  passes  right  by  the  entrance 
porch.  On  the  east  a  shrubbery-bordered  lawn 
makes  a  pleasant  outlook  for  the  living  room.  On 
the  south  the  conservatory  leads  to  the  terrace 
and  to  the  flower  garden.  On  the  west  in  back  of 
the  house  is  the  laundry  yard  and  next  to  it  the 
stable  court,  which  connects  with  the  drive  again. 
The  various  parts  are  united  and  framed  in  by  a 
wall  built  around  the  entire  property.  In  this 
way  privacy  and  seclusion  are  obtained  in  the  very 
midst  of  the  city. 


T 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

§ 
The  house  is  only  open  from  September  until 

June.  It  is  during  this  time  that  the  grounds  can 
be  enjoyed  by  the  family.  And  it  is  for  this 
reason  that  the  planting  is  so  chosen  and  arranged 
that  it  will  produce  its  best  effects  during  the  late 
fall,  winter,  and  early  spring.  There  are  late 
autumn  flowers  and  shrubs  with  brilliant  foliage. 
There  are  evergreens  and  shrubs  with  berries  and 
gayly  colored  stems.  There  are  spring  bulbs  and 
early  flowering  shrubs.  These  give  abundant 
green  and  bright  color  to  the  city  garden  during 
the  cold  seasons  of  the  year. 

The  drive  was  made  as  practical  as  possible.  It 
runs  parallel  to  the  house  and  turns  abruptly 
with  short  curves  to  the  two  entrances.  Its  shape 
fits  the  ground  and  the  rising  grade  of  the  street 
and  the  two  gateways  make  easy  the  entrance 
and  departure  of  vehicles.  The  door  of  the  stable, 
placed  on  the  axis  of  the  straight  part  of  the  drive, 
maKes  an  easy  connection  between  stable,  front 
door,  and  street. 

It  is  here  that  the  initial  impression  of  the 
grounds  and  the  house  is  received.  The  planting 
has  been  carefully  considered  in  order  to  obtain 
at  the  very  beginning  a  certain  distinction  char- 

4 


PROBLEM  I 


THE  PLAN. 


SIBLEY  C.  SMITH 

acteristic  of  the  entire  place.  An  old  Beech 
with  widespread  branches  dominates  this  part  of 
the  grounds.  In  its  deep  shade  many  woodsy, 
shade-loving  plants  like  Ferns,  Solomon's  Seal, 
Uvularia,  and  Violets  make  a  ground  cover  where 
grass  will  not  grow.  The  drive  is  bordered  by 
narrow  planting  strips.  On  one  side  Myrtle  is 
planted  near  the  entrance,  then  Ivy,  and  near 
the  exit  a  group  of  Fragrant  Bush-Honeysuckles. 
Along  the  wall  in  back  of  this  strip  there  is  Regel's 
Privet  in  scattered  groups.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  drive  near  the  entrance  are  Euonymus  radicans, 
Fragrant  Sumac,  Pachysandra,  and  Ivy,  with  Hem- 
lock, Forsythia,  and  Dogwood  against  the  wall 
in  back  of  them.  Along  the  house  the  planting 
is  principally  of  Rhododendrons.  It  is  interesting 
that  these  Rhododendrons,  that  did  poorly  in 
their  original  position  on  the  south  side  of  the 
house  before  the  garden  was  built,  flourish  on  the 
north  side.  They  dislike  excessive  sunlight,  es- 
pecially in  winter,  but  enjoy  the  more  even  tem- 
perature of  the  shade.  Now  they  thrive  every 
winter  without  any  protection  except  a  mulch 
around  the  roots.  They  look  particularly  pleasant 
in  contrast  to  all  the  neighbors'  Rhododendron 
beds,  which  are  tied  up  in  their  coverings  of  ever- 

5 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

green  boughs  at  the  first  approach  of  cold  weather. 
Leucothoe  catesbcei,  Pachysandra  terminalis,  Ferns, 
Ivy,  and  Yellowroot  make  a  foreground  planting 
for  the  Rhododendrons.  Along  the  wall  of  the  serv- 
ice court  Fragrant  Sumac  and  Asters  are  planted, 
and  Ampelopsis  Engelmanni,  which  has  clinging 
suckers  like  the  Boston  Ivy  and  a  free  growing 
habit  like  the  Virginia  Creeper,  climbs  over  wall 
and  posts. 

All  the  plants  on  the  drive  endure  northern 
exposure  and  shady  positions.  It  is  a  planting 
composed  mainly  of  evergreens.  To  the  exclusion 
of  all  stiff  specimen  conifers,  broad-leaved  ever- 
greens have  been  used.  The  decorative  effective- 
ness of  evergreen  planting  depends  as  much  on  the 
nicety  with  which  the  different  varieties  are  com- 
bined as  on  the  selection  of  the  material.  It  is  a 
planting  chosen  principally  for  its  fine  foliage 
effects.  The  lasting  green  of  Myrtle  and  Ivy, 
Hemlock,  Euonymus,  and  Pachysandra,  the  almost 
evergreen  foliage  of  the  Fragrant  Bush-Honey- 
suckles, and  the  glossy  leafage  of  the  Rhododen- 
drons give  a  splendid  winter  effect.  Against  these 
are  contrasted  the  Leucothoe  when  its  foliage 
turns  a  deep  red  in  the  autumn  and  the  fall  color 
of  the  Yellowroot  and  Fragrant  Sumac. 

6 


SIBLEY  C.  SMITH 

From  the  drive  we  can  pass  to  the  lawn.  It  is  a 
little  place,  quite  private  and  secluded,  six  feet 
above  the  sidewalk.  The  wall  around  it  has  done 
away  with  the  original  steep  grass  slope  which 
was  never  good  to  look  at  and  very  difficult  to 
keep  in  order.  By  the  building  of  this  retaining 
wall,  several  feet  were  added  to  the  width  of  the 
lawn,  a  desirable  economy  of  floor  space  for  a 
small  piece  of  ground. 

The  shrubbery  planted  along  the  front  wall  is 
not  put  in  a  continuous  border.  With  economy 
of  space  in  mind  and  with  a  desire  to  show  the 
wall  between,  the  familiar  Spirtza  Fan  Houttei, 
Regel's  Privet,  and  Hemlock  are  planted  in  groups 
at  intervals.  The  Privet  and  Hemlock  have  a 
sweeping  habit  of  branching,  very  desirable  in 
plants  for  lawn  enclosures.  They  provide  a  winter 
contrast  of  black  berries  against  evergreen  boughs. 
Japanese  Quince  is  planted  near  the  house  for  early 
spring  bloom,  and  Rosa  multiflora,  climbing  over 
the  wall,  has  bright  hips  for  autumn  effect. 

From  the  lawn  we  can  enter  the  flower  garden. 
It  is  quite  a  marvelous  little  place.  In  considering 
all  that  has  been  done  in  it,  it  is  really  worth  while 
noticing  that  its  size  is  only  thirty-five  by  forty- 

7 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

five  feet.  Its  slightly  raised  position  above  the 
front  lawn  and  its  sunken  position  in  relation  to  the 
terrace  gives  it  the  change  of  level  to  which  so 
many  gardens  owe  a  great  deal  of  their  charm. 
Part  of  its  charm  comes,  too,  from  its  enclosure, 
from  the  walls  which  frame  the  two  sides  of  the 
terrace.  Then,  it  gets  the  benefit  of  the  large 
Pine  on  the  terrace  and  of  the  old  Spruce  in  the 
back  lawn. 

The  flower  effects  have  been  confined  entirely  to 
the  spring  and  autumn  months.  In  the  spring 
the  central  beds  glisten  with  the  more  delicately 
colored  varieties  of  Darwin  Tulips  underplanted 
with  Forget-me-nots.  The  side  borders  are  filled 
with  creamy  white  Narcissus  and  fritillaria  mele- 
agris  with  a  ground  cover  of  pale  lavender  Phlox 
stellaria.  Delicate  pinkish  white  Japanese  Anem- 
ones, replacing  the  Tulips  in  the  central  beds, 
begin  the  fall  flowering.  A  mass  of  pale  lavender 
Asters  with  white  and  yellow  Snapdragons  in  the 
foreground  fill  the  wall  border,  while  yellow  and 
maroon  Chrysanthemums  along  the  house  con- 
tinue the  flowering  season  until  after  the  frost. 

In  the  planting  of  a  small  garden  striking  seasonal 
effects  can  be  obtained  only  through  large  masses 
of  a  very  limited  variety  of  plants.  This  does  not 

8 


SIBLEY  C.  SMITH 

exclude,  however,  the  use  of  many  different  kinds 
of  plants  in  small  clumps.  Many  are  used  in  this 
garden,  among  them  Iris  reticulata,  Abelia  rupestris, 
Lilium  rubellum,  Anemone  blanda,  Iris  cristata. 
Crocus  speciosus,  Iberis  sempervirens,  and  Helleborus 
nigra.  It  is  necessary,  of  course,  to  plant  these 
many  kinds  in  very  small  quantities,  but  this  will 
not  limit  their  effectiveness  as  they  are  seen 
at  the  closest  range.  They  have  to  be  subordi- 
nated, however,  to  the  general  seasonal  effect  and 
be  in  harmony  with  its  color.  The  seasonal  dis- 
play here  of  Narcissus  and  Darwin  Tulips  in  the 
spring,  of  Japanese  Anemones,  Asters,  Snapdragons, 
and  Chrysanthemums  in  the  fall  gives  a  unity  not 
to  be  overlooked  but  strongly  emphasized  in  the 
small  garden. 

In  the  design  of  the  garden  every  effort  was 
made  to  make  it  attractive  during  the  cold  months 
of  the  year.  The  space  saved  through  the  elimi- 
nation of  all  summer  blooming  flowers  has  been 
used  for  a  liberal  planting  of  small  evergreens. 
Euonymus  radicans,  kept  closely  clipped,  forms  the 
edging  of  the  central  beds.  Andromeda,  Laurel, 
Pachysandra,  and  the  dainty  Daphne  cneorum 
make  a  narrow  shrubbery  along  the  wall.  Japanese 
Yew,  Japanese  Holly,  and  Azalea  are  planted  along 

9 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

the  house  wall.  These  shrubberies  give  a  good  color 
effect  when  in  bloom,  they  make  a  background  for 
the  flowers,  and  they  are  especially  valuable  in  giv- 
ing a  cheerful  note  to  the  garden  in  midwinter. 

A  broad  brick-paved  terrace  adjoins  the  flower 
garden  with  everything  to  make  it  attractive  during 
the  cold  weather.  It  is  warm  and  sunny  and  dry 
under  foot.  Its  walls  catch  and  hold  the  heat  of  the 
sun  and  make  it  comfortable  to  sit  in  even  late  in 
the  fall,  while  the  Pine  tree  furnishes  just  enough 
shade  to  make  it  a  pleasant  afternoon  lounging 
place  even  in  the  warm  days  of  late  spring.  The 
terrace  is  sheltered  on  the  north  by  the  house, 
from  which  it  is  approached  through  a  small 
conservatory.  The  stucco  pilasters  and  wooden 
beams  of  the  conservatory  make  it  a  desirable 
winter  substitute  for  a  pergola.  On  the  west  the 
terrace  overlooks  the  flower  garden.  The  other 
two  sides  are  enclosed  by  walls.  Opposite  the 
conservatory  the  wall  is  raised  to  give  privacy  from 
the  carriage  drive  of  the  adjoining  lot.  The 
monotony  of  a  solid  wall  is  changed  into  a  feature 
of  much  interest  by  an  arrangement  of  three 
panels.  The  side  ones  are  filled  with  Delia  Rdbbia 
Singing  Boys,  the  center  one  with  a  brick  wall 

10 


THE  ARCH  BETWEEN  THE  BACK  LAWN  AND  THE  TERRACE. 


SIBLEY  C.  SMITH 

fountain.  The  fountain  provides  an  architectural 
feature  which  is  pleasing  in  its  placing  opposite 
the  conservatory  door  and  in  its  location  near 
the  Pine  which  overshadows  it.  A  wall  fountain 
is  an  economy  of  space  and  the  smallest  trickle  of 
water  has  an  enlivening  effect  in  a  garden.  The 
three  flat  arch  openings  in  the  other  wall  allow  the 
green  of  the  back  shrubbery  to  enter  into  the  com- 
position. This  wall  is  unusual,  in  giving  both  the 
effect  of  seclusion  and  a  suggestion  of  something 
of  interest  beyond.  Jasminum  nudiflorum  planted 
under  the  conservatory  windows  has  bright  yellow 
flowers  very  early  in  the  spring.  Snowdrops,  Iris 
reticulata,  and  English  Primroses  are  planted  in  the 
sunny  nooks  at  the  foot  of  the  wall  and  a  white 
Chinese  Wistaria  climbs  over  it.  The  annual  vine 
Cobea  scandens  gives  a  delightful  lavender  bloom 
in  the  fall  and  English  Ivy  planted  on  the  shady 
sides  provides  the  winter  interest.  The  terrace  is 
a  pleasant  out-of-door  room.  It  is  comparatively 
small  but  the  wide-open  view  of  the  flower  garden 
and  the  broken  glimpses  of  the  back  lawn  makes  it 
quite  big  in  feeling  if  not  in  actual  extent. 

The  central  arch  of  the  wall  is  a  door  to  the 
back  lawn.     On  either  side  are  informal  shrubbery 

ii 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

borders.  The  ground  under  the  shrubs  is  planted 
with  Bloodroots,  Solomon's  Seals,  Trilliums,  Cro- 
cuses, Squills,  Violets  and  other  spring  flowers.  It 
is  a  substitute  for  a  rock  or  wild  garden  which 
shows  what  charming  simple  effects  can  be  de- 
veloped on  a  small  place  if  thought  is  given  to  the 
intensive  use  of  every  corner.  In  the  shrubbery 
itself  the  main  masses  are  composed  of  Lilacs, 
Snowberries,  Euonymus  alatus,  Cornus  alba,  and 
Kerria  japonica.  The  Lilacs  provide  abundant 
spring  bloom,  the  Snowberries  a  charming  autumn 
touch.  The  brilliant  red  branches  of  the  Cornus 
and  the  vivid  green  stems  of  the  Kerria  give  a  very 
effective  winter  contrast.  At  the  farther  end  of  the 
lawn  the  vista  is  terminated  by  a  v  wonderful  old 
Spruce  backed  by  a  semicircular  lattice.  A  row 
of  square  white  stepping  stones  leads  from  the 
terrace  to  the  Spruce  and  turns  at  right  angles  to 
enter  the  stable  court.  Even  in  this  court  the 
winter  effect  has  been  thought  of.  There  are 
Barberries  with  red  berries  and  Privets  with 
black  fruit. 

We  have  made  a  complete  circuit  of  the  grounds, 
just  as  I  made  it  one  sunny  day  in  December. 
The  visit  was  a  timely  one  to  show  me  how  beauti- 


12 


SIBLEY  C.  SMITH 

ful  the  garden  was  going  to  be  during  each  winter 
month.  It  was  fascinating  to  watch  the  gradual 
unfolding  of  each  garden  picture  as  I  walked  around 
the  house.  Every  part  of  the  property,  every 
little  corner,  was  utilized  to  its  fullest  extent,  and 
beneath  its  decorative  treatment  the  underlying 
plan  bound  together  the  various  subdivisions  into 
a  closely  interrelated  and  unified  whole. 


PROBLEM  II 


PROBLEM  II 

A  COMPLETE  LAYOUT  —  WITHIN   SMALL  DIMENSIONS,  BY 

PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHI- 

TECTS, BOSTON,  MASS. 

Location  —  Allston,  near  Boston.    Size  —  64  x  164  feet 


development  of  this  property  was  deter- 
mined  by  the  location  of  the  path  which  now 
connects  the  front  door  with  the  street.  Such  a 
path  is  a  necessity  in  daily  use.  It  must  be  prac- 
tical, dry  under  foot,  and  as  direct  as  possible. 
These  reasons,  however,  should  not  deprive  it  of 
interest.  The  very  fact  that  it  is  in  daily  use 
is  all  the  more  reason  why  it  should  have  beauty 
inwrought  in  the  making. 

The  house  had  to  be  set  high  above  the  street 
level  and  had  to  accommodate  its  shape  to  the 
long  narrow  lot.  The  necessity  of  facing  the  house 
for  these  reasons  upon  an  unpaved  road,  which  is 
only  a  right  of  way,  and  the  impracticability  of 
placing  the  entrance  to  the  grounds  on  it,  forced 

17 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

this  unconventional  solution.  The  direct  communi- 
cation with  the  main  thoroughfare,  only  a  block 
away,  through  the  use  of  the  narrow  street  on  the 
south  of  the  house  made  it  of  practical  importance 
to  locate  the  entrance  on  this  street.  The  problem 
still  remained  of  how  to  get  in  an  interesting  but 
direct  manner  from  the  street  to  the  front  door. 
The  grounds  are  walled  in  along  this  street 
to  avoid  steep  grass  terraces.  This  wall  is  sur- 
mounted by  a  white  picket  fence  and  broken  in 
the  middle  by  the  entrance  steps.  One  step  up 
from  the  street  we  stand  on  a  small  space  in 
front  of  seven  steps  which  are  walled  in  on  both 
sides  by  the  retaining  walls  of  lawn  and  flower 
garden.  Once  up  these  steps  we  cpme  to  a  little 
vestibule  or  anteroom,  if  we  may  borrow  the 
architect's  terms.  It  is  a  little  breathing  space,  a 
place  pleasant  to  linger  in  a  moment.  It  is  the 
parting  of  the  ways.  Masses  of  Rhododendron 
with  a  background  of  Cedars  face  us.  On  the  left 
the  white  gate  opens  into  a  short  cut  through  the 
flower  garden  to  the  living  room.  On  the  right 
tall  feathery  Retinispora  pisifera  specimens  on 
either  side  indicate  that  the  walk  continues  in  that 
direction  toward  the  front  door.  After  we  pass 
these  evergreen  sentinels  we  make  a  turn  and 

18 


PROBLEM  II. 


THE  PLAN. 


THE  GROUNDS  SEEN  FROM  THE  STREET. 


PROBLEM  II.    No.  2. 


THE  ENCLOSURE. 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

another  five  steps  bring  us  up  to  the  house  level. 
This  turn  and  the  shrubbery  around  it  hide  one 
flight  of  steps  from  the  other  and  the  level  piece 
of  ground  between  breaks  into  two  short  flights 
what  might  have  been  one  tiresome  as  well  as 
tiring  flight  of  steps.  Once  on  the  house  level 
the  walk  runs  along  the  whole  front  of  the  house. 
Not  only  is  this  arrangement  of  the  walk  direct  and 
attractive  in  itself  but  it  makes  possible  a  consider- 
able space  of  unbroken  lawn  between  the  walk 
and  the  fence  along  the  unpaved  road.  This  solu- 
tion seems  so  simple  and  appropriate  that  all  the 
care,  labor,  and  study  put  into  the  planning  for 
grading,  for  construction  of  wall  work  and  steps 
is  entirely  lost  to  mind.  It  should  be  so.  All 
study  should  be  hidden  behind  seemingly  un- 
studied naturalness.  Such  fundamental  planning, 
to  which  the  planting,  so  important  in  itself,  is 
added  as  a  decorative  feature,  displays  the  in- 
genuity of  the  landscape  architect  and  shows  the 
practicability  of  employing  him. 

The  path  is  laid  in  brick.  Brick  pavements 
have  a  permanent  decorative  quality  and  a  warm 
color  which  is  of  special  value  in  the  winter  effec- 
tiveness of  a  garden.  At  the  end  of  the  path 
stands  an  old  Maple.  It  is  a  piece  of  rare  good 

19 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

fortune  to  have  it  just  in  that  position.  Such  a 
tall  old  tree  has  a  peculiar  manner  of  imparting 
some  of  its  own  dignity  and  distinction  to  the 
house  and  the  grounds  near  it.  It  has  a  depth 
of  shadow  which  has  an  indescribable  charm.  It 
provides  a  strong  contrast  of  shade  to  the  sunny 
lawn. 

The  house  is  well  orientated  in  relation  to  the 
various  parts  of  the  grounds.  It  faces  east  upon 
the  lawn.  On  the  south  is  the  living  porch  facing  the 
garden.  On  the  north  the  kitchen  and  cellar  doors 
open  on  a  lattice-screened  and  brick-paved  enclosure 
used  both  as  laundry  yard  and  service  court.  A 
path  which  joins  at  right  angles  the  path  along  the 
front  of  the  house  connects  this  court  with  the 
roadway. 

The  corner  of  the  lawn  by  this  service  path 
is  planted  with  Rhododendrons,  Lilacs,  and  For- 
sythia.  The  Rhododendrons  find  an  appropriate 
place  in  the  shade  of  the  Maple.  Next  to  them 
are  the  Lilacs,  then  the  Forsythia.  The  heavy 
plain  leaves  of  the  Lilacs  harmonize  exceptionally 
well  in  color  and  texture  with  the  Rhododendron 
foliage.  Both  the  Forsythia  and  the  Lilacs  keep 

20 


THE  ENTRANCE  PATH. 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

green  late  into  the  fall.  Together  they  give 
three  monthly  periods  of  bloom.  The  arching 
branches  of  the  Forsythia  bring  this  shrubbery 
into  character  with  the  Lady  Gay  Roses  climbing 
along  the  eastern  fence.  In  front  of  the  Roses  are 
Peonies.  These  two  give  two  long  periods  of 
bloom.  Peonies  like  isolation  from  other  flowers 
for  complete  development  and  are  as  valuable  as 
shrubs  in  foliage  effectiveness.  Next  come  Pop- 
lars, then  come  groups  of  Lilacs,  Deutzia  lemoine, 
and  Spircea  Van  Houttei.  This  unbroken  but 
irregular  border  hides  the  house  from  the  street 
except  where  glimpses  of  doorway  or  arched  win- 
dow are  seen  through  the  branches.  It  gives  a 
delightful  informality  to  the  grounds  which  char- 
acterizes so  many  of  the  older  and  larger  places  in 
the  near  vicinity  of  Boston. 

Andromeda  floribunda  was  originally  planted 
along  the  house  under  the  windows.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  pleasing  of  the  dwarf  evergreen  shrubs. 
The  buds  of  its  white  flowers  have  a  curious  way 
of  appearing  all  winter  long  as  if  they  were  just 
ready  to  burst  into  bloom  which  helps  to  enliven 
the  garden  during  the  winter  months.  These 
plants  have  disappeared  and  the  unfortunate  plac- 
ing of  Box  bushes  to  take  their  place  spoils  the 

21 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

continuity  of  the  border.  These  Box  bushes  illus- 
trate a  frequent  mistake  in  shrub  planting  for 
they  were  planted  there  simply  by  the  caprice  of 
the  planter,  who  considered  his  plant  material  only 
at  its  own  and  separate  value  instead  of  at  its 
valuation  as  a  part  of  a  well  ordered  design.  The 
Rhododendrons  and  Cedars  at  either  end  of  the 
house  show  how  effective  evergreens  can  be  against 
red  brick  walls.  Two  Rose  of  Sharon  bushes 
with  double  pink  flowers  frame  the  entrance 
porch.  Their  upright  habit  accentuates  its  quiet 
formality.  Just  this  upright  stiffness  which 
makes  it  so  difficult  to  mold  it  into  shrubbery 
borders  invests  the  Rose  of  Sharon  with  a  pecul- 
iar fitness  when  it  is  used  to  produce  architectural 
balance. 

The  planting  along  the  house  and  for  the  lawn 
enclosure  has  been  given  in  such  detail  to  show  how 
full  of  interest  a  little  place  can  be  when  careful 
attention  is  given  to  the  proper  arrangement  of 
shrubs  as  a  boundary  around  a  small  lawn.  Ever- 
greens give  it  much  winter  interest,  deciduous 
planting  emphasizes  the  spring  bloom.  Then, 
after  the  Roses  are  through  blooming  in  July,  the 
lawn  is  framed  by  quiet  greenery  and  the  color 
interest  is  absorbed  by  the  flower  garden. 

22 


PROBLEM  II.     No.  5. 


PROBLEM  II.     No.  6. 


THE  LAWN. 


THE  FENCE. 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

The  garden  is  a  delightful  little  place  not  thirty 
feet  square.  It  shows  the  infinite  possibilities  of 
the  small  flower  garden.  We  like  its  friendly 
colors,  its  little  touches  of  formality,  and  its  seclu- 
sion above  the  street. 

Part  of  the  success  of  this  garden  is  due  to 
its  enclosure.  On  the  north  side  by  the  porch 
are  masses  of  Rhododendron.  Lily-of-the-V alley 
plants  are  crowded  together  by  the  steps,  and 
there  is  a  Box  bush  on  either  side.  On  the  east 
side  is  the  picket  fence.  Opposite  is  a  row  of 
Arbor  Vitae  now  six  or  eight  feet  high,  and  on  the 
south  side  the  branches  of  the  street  trees  make 
a  heavy  green  screen. 

Much  of  the  success  of  the  garden  comes  from 
the  worth  of  its  design.  In  a  small  garden  the 
design  wins  approval  through  sheer  simplicity. 
This  design  is  based  on  a  circular  composition 
inscribed  in  a  square.  It  is  an  old  motive  al- 
ways new.  The  spreading  Pinus  mugho  is  not 
a  very  acceptable  central  figure  for  it  is  coarse 
in  texture  and  will  soon  grow  too  large  and 
dwarf  the  rest  of  the  design.  We  are  sorry  it  is 
in  the  photograph  for  the  center  was  the  place 
designed  for  a  sundial  or  a  slender  columned  bird 
bowl. 

23 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Most  of  the  success  of  a  garden  must  be  attrib- 
uted to  the  choice  and  arrangement  of  the  flowers. 
The  succession  of  bloom  creates  a  pleasurable  per- 
ennial interest.  The  arrangement  of  the  flowers 
emphasizes  the  circular  composition.  On  the  edge 
of  the  circular  path  are  eight  Sedum  spectabile. 
In  back  of  them  are  planted  the  tall  lilac  blue 
Iris  pallida  dalmatica  interspersed  with  Anthemis, 
the  Golden  Marguerite.  The  third  tier  is  com- 
posed of  Daffodils  and  pink  and  white  Phlox. 
Along  the  street  wall  are  rows  of  Hollyhocks. 
In  front  of  the  green  of  the  Arbor  Vitae  light  blue 
Larkspurs  raise  their  slender  spires  in  early  summer 
and  Aconitum,  the  Monkshood,  gives  a  similar 
effect  in  autumn.  On  either  side  of  the  gate  a  bush 
of  low  Deutzia  gracilis  blossoms  early  in  the  spring 
and  later  in  July  two  plants  of  Yellow  Day  Lilies 
placed  on  either  side  of  the  path  to  the  house 
make  bright  spots  of  color.  To  complete  the 
formal  effect  a  white-flowering  Rose  of  Sharon  is 
planted  at  each  corner.  From  the  time  the  Narcis- 
sus comes  out  in  April  until  the  Rose  of  Sharon 
fades  there  is  always  something  blooming  in  the 
garden.  The  middle  of  August,  when  the  picture 
was  taken,  is  the  gala  time.  It  is  the  climax 
of  the  season.  The  Rose  of  Sharon,  the  Sedum, 

24 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

and  the  Phlox  are  all  blooming  together.  It  is, 
however,  not  necessary,  as  it  is  not  possible,  to  have 
so  much  bloom  all  the  time  to  make  the  small 
garden  effective.  A  little  bloom  goes  a  long  way. 
When  I  saw  it  in  early  July  with  the  Hemerocallis 
just  beginning  to  bloom  and  the  Larkspurs  in 
flower,  the  garden  was  quite  charming  with  its 
delicate  touch  of  blue  and  gold.  Even  when  it 
gets  too  cold  to  sit  out-of-doors,  the  garden  has 
lost  little  of  its  attractiveness.  The  Rhododen- 
dron foliage,  the  fragrant  Box  bushes,  the  pyrami- 
dal Arbor  Vitae,  and  the  red  brick  of  the  paths 
provide  much  winter  interest. 

The  enclosure,  the  architectural  details,  the 
design,  the  flowers,  each  has  an  important  part  to 
play.  It  is  not  in  their  separate  parts  but  in 
their  interrelated  action  toward  garden  effective- 
ness that  their  complete  worth  lies  in  the  art  of 
garden  making. 


PROBLEM  III 


PROBLEM  III 

AN  INFORMAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  A  WOODED  PROPERTY,  BY 

E.  GORTON  DAVIS,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

CORNELL  UNIVERSITY,  ITHACA,  N.  Y. 

This  property  is  located  at  Ithaca,  N.  Y.     The  main  prop- 
erty is  no  x  136 feet.     The  "outside"  garden  is 
go  x  no  feet 

OPEN  expanses  of  ornamented  lawns  which  ex- 
pose the  full  view  of  the  house  to  every 
passer-by  are  of  a  past  day  in  garden  art.  Vine- 
covered  walls  and  fences,  hedges,  shrubbery 
borders,  and  slopes  clothed  with  trailers  and  re- 
cumbent shrubs  form  the  boundaries  that  are 
helping  to  make  the  attractive  streets  of  to- 
day. Bare  and  uninterrupted  views  of  houses 
are  now  replaced  by  pleasing  impressions  caught 
over  hedges  and  through  shrubbery.  These  en- 
closing frames  make  one  comprehend  the  meaning 
of  the  English  wall  and  hedge  bounded  gardens 
and  appreciate  the  desirability  of  the  privacy  thus 
attained.  The  street  boundary  is  not  to  be 

29 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

chosen  hastily,  for  it  must  be  in  keeping  with  the 
style  and  character  of  the  house  and  give  the 
correct  intimation  of  the  grounds  it  encloses. 
It  must  not,  however,  be  too  different  from  the 
rest  of  the  places  on  the  street. 

For  this  house  and  for  these  grounds,  it  seemed 
best  to  plant  a  Cedar  hedge  all  along  the  street 
boundary.  The  gates  for  drive  and  walk  entrances 
break  the  hedge  line  but  preserve  the  continuity 
of  the  boundary.  The  tall  undipped  Cedars  that 
mark  the  main  entrance  and  add  variety  of  skyline 
to  this  point  .unite  with  others  near  them  to  give 
a  picturesque  quality  to  the  entrance  and  thus 
strengthen  the  impression  of  simplicity  desired 
in  the  grounds.  Rhodotypus  kerrioides  has  been 
planted  along  the  outside  of  the  hedge.  The 
White  Kerria  has  a  pleasant  delicacy  to  its  white 
flowers,  and  its  persistent  black  fruit  is  sprinkled 
lightly  over  the  bush.  Its  unfortunate  tendency 
to  have  yellow  foliage  is  avoided  by  keeping  it 
on  the  north  side  of  the  hedge,  out  of  the  sun. 
Incidentally,  it  makes  a  pleasing  contrast  for  the 
clipped  hedge.  The  stiffness  of  most  clipped 
hedges  could  be  easily  relieved  by  some  such 
low  free  growing  planting.  Not  even  on  the 
inside  is  the  hedge  left  entirely  exposed.  Along 

30 


PROBLEM  III. 


THE  PLAN. 


E.  GORTON  DAVIS 

the  lawn  boundary  Sweet  Briar  Roses  are  placed 
against  the  Cedars,  and  in  front  of  the  house  the 
Cedars  act  as  a  background  for  an  herbaceous 
border  whose  taller  flowers  overtop  the  hedge. 

The  passage  between  the  street  and  the  house 
is  perhaps  the  most  frequently  used  part  of  the 
grounds.  It,  therefore,  ought  to  be  a  fitting  ap- 
proach to  the  front  door,  one  that  will  be  agree- 
able, day  by  day,  to  home-comers  and  one  that 
will  be  a  welcome  to  visitors.  It  ought  to  be  an 
approach  that  will  be  in  keeping  with  the  style 
of  the  house,  one  that  will  express,  too,  in  some 
way  the  manner  of  household  living.  It  ought 
to  be  the  very  keynote  that  will  give  the  correct 
initial  impression  of  the  entire  place. 

In  this  problem,  it  is  necessary  to  pass  along 
the  entire  side  of  the  house  to  reach  the  entrance 
steps.  At  first, — before  the  work  on  the  grounds 
was  begun, — this  walk  was  an  ungainly  procedure. 
From  the  street  entrance  you  had  to  walk  down- 
grade and  then  up  again  before  you  reached  the 
porch.  The  ground  was  then  graded  in  such  a 
way  that  now  you  reach  the  porch  across  an 
eighteen-foot-wide  terrace  which  affords  a  level 
and  agreeable  entrance.  At  first  the  house  stood 

31 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

amid  sloping  ground  and  had  an  awkward  and  un- 
stable look.  Through  this  grading  the  house  has 
gained  a  pleasing  appearance  of  solidity.  It  is 
upon  such  underlying  structural  improvements — 
like  this  simple  piece  of  grading — that  many  at- 
tractive features  of  small  properties  depend. 

This  level  space  has  become  more  than  an 
approach.  It  is  a  pleasant  place]  for  outdoor 
sitting.  The  slanting  position  of  the  gateway 
and  the  tall  Cedars  cut  off  all  possibilities  of  a 
glimpse  into  the  grounds.  The  hedge  around  the 
terrace  is  of  globe-shaped  Thuya, — it  might  have 
been  of  Taxus  cuspidata, — which  is  low  enough 
for  pleasant  views  across  the  sloping  lawn  and 
into  the  woods  on  the  back  hillside.  English 
Daisies,  planted  all  along  the  hedge,  give  a  homey 
little  touch.  The  nice  placing  of  the  regular 
stepping  stones  of  the  path  with  the  broad  grass 
spaces  on  either  side  give  the  terrace  a  pleasing 
breadth.  The  wooden  gateway  and  wooden  seats, 
as  well  as  the  stepping  stones,  are  appropriately 
used  with  this  quiet  house  of  gray  stucco  and 
shingle. 

From  the  terrace  broad  field  stone  steps  lead 
down  to  the  lawn  and  then  by  easy  grades  to 

32 


O 


E.  GORTON  DAVIS 

the  wood  paths.  In  the  crevices  of  the  stones 
many  rock  plants  are  tucked.  There  are  Golden 
Tufts  (Alyssum  saxatile  compactum  and  A.  rostra- 
turn),  dwarf  silver  toned  Anthemis  aizoon,  Arabis, 
Thrift,  dwarf  Baby's  Breath,  delicate  tinted  Saxi- 
fragas,  and  all  kinds  of  gay  Sedums.  This  method 
of  softening  the  stone  and  brightening  the  path 
with  bits  of  flower  color  is  an  exquisite  acquisition 
from  English  gardens. 

The  woods  is  roughly  50  by  150  feet  in  its 
entire  area  and  yet  its  paths  are  of  enough  length 
to  create  a  whole  series  of  charming  wood  pictures 
along  their  sloping  ways.  Pines  and  Hemlocks, 
undergrowth  shrubs  and  trees  supplement  the 
existing  woods  of  Oaks,  Hickories,  and  Maples. 
Dogwoods  and  Judas  trees  make  a  charming 
spring  combination  full  of  delicacy  and  color. 
Then  there  are  Azaleas,  the  soft  rose  Azalea  nudi- 
flora  and  its  brighter  flame-toned  relative,  Azalea 
calendulacea.  For  early  summer  there  are  masses 
of  Laurels  scattered  through  the  woods  and  at 
special  places  there  are  Rhododendrons,  the  tall 
native  Rhododendron  maximum,  the  smaller-leaved 
Rhododendron  carolinianum,  and  the  low  small- 
flowered  Rhododendron  myrtlefolium.  There  are 
masses  of  Leucothoe  and  an  occasional  Yew 
3  33 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

(Taxus  canadensis).  For  the  fall  there  are 
white-berried  Cornus  paniculata.  Viburnum  acer- 
folium  with  autumn-tinted  maple-leaved  foli- 
age and  black  fruit,  and  Witch-hazels  whose 
very  late  flowers  and  yellowed  foliage  herald 
the  winter. 

It  would  seem  as  if  the  picture  were  complete 
and  yet  these  trees  and  shrubs  form  but  a  back- 
ground for  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  plants  that 
love  wood  soil  and  shade.  All  the  early  wild 
flowers  are  there,  Bloodroots  and  Dutchman's 
Breeches,  Hepatica  and  Spring  Beauties,  Arbutus 
and  Partridge  Berries,  Columbines  and  wild  Bleed- 
ing Hearts,  Mandrakes  and  Wild  Ginger.  There 
are  Violets  and  Trilliums  in  great  variety,  many 
kinds  of  Lady  Slippers  (Cypripediums,  Habanarias, 
Orchis  spectabilis)  and  a  complete  collection  of 
ferns.  There  are  Solomon's  Seals  and  Mertensias, 
groups  of  Cimicifuga  racemosa  (the  white  Snake- 
root),  and  bold  masses  of  Eupatoriums  and  wild 
Asters.  There  are  Bluets  and  wild  blue  Lupines 
and  lilac  blue  Phlox  divaricata.  Monarda  (the 
Bee  Balm)  makes  a  bright  spot  of  color,  orange 
and  red  Wood  Lilies  (Lilium  candense,  Lilium 
philadelphicum,  and  Lilium  superbum)  are  growing 
in  gay  masses,  and  in  more  secluded  and  sheltered 

34 


E.  GORTON  DAVIS 

nooks  an  occasional  Cardinal  Flower  gleams  scarlet 
amid  the  deep  green  of  the  woods. 

The  gathering  and  collecting  of  these  wood 
plants  has  become  a  pleasant  hobby,  all  the  more 
worthy  because  the  placing  and  composing  of  the 
plants  in  their  woodsy  setting  has  been  done  with 
such  care  that  it  is  in  harmony  with  the  structural 
integrity  of  the  whole  place. 

The  segment-shaped  piece  of  land  on  the  other 
side  of  the  street  was  bought  to  prevent  the 
possibility  of  any  objectionable  building  rising  in 
front  of  the  house.  A  charming  chalet,  too 
picturesque,  perhaps,  to  be  in  keeping  with  the 
modest  old-fashioned  air  of  the  residence,  was  built 
upon  it.  Part  of  it  is  used  by  the  owner  as  an 
office.  The  placing  of  this  house,  in  a  subordinate 
position  on  the  side  of  the  grounds,  allows  ample 
room  for  landscape  development.  In  front  is  a 
roomy  lawn,  on  one  side  is  a  long  walk  with  a 
flower  border  that  acts  as  a  cutting  garden,  and 
tucked  away  into  the  back  corner  is  a  small  salad 
garden.  The  main  feature  is  the  circular  flower 
enclosure.  It  is  connected  by  a  direct  walk  with 
the  house  terrace  across  the  road  and  so  becomes 
an  integral  part  of  the  main  grounds. 

35 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

This  additional  garden  space  is  really  what  the 
Germans  call  an  "Abseits  Garten"  or  a  garden 
outside.  It  originated  in  old  towns  where  the 
houses  were  so  huddled  together  within  the  walls 
that  the  gardens  had  to  be  planted,  necessarily, 
outside  the  fortifications.  Here,  the  "outside 
garden"  is  so  close  to  the  house  that  the  careful 
placing  of  entrances  and  gateways  brings  the  two 
properties  together  into  one  logical  and  structural 
whole. 


PROBLEM  IV 


37 


PROBLEM  IV 

A  COLONIAL  FORE -COURT  AND  GARDEN  OF  A  FARMHOUSE, 
BY  ARTHUR  A.  SHURTLEFF,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHI- 
TECT, BOSTON,  MASS. 

This  property  is  located  at  Shrewsbury,  near  Worcester,  Mass. 

The  dimensions  of  the  Fore-court  are  42  x  6$  feet; 

those  of  the  Garden  are  34  x  38  feet 

THE  FORE-COURT. 

THE  house  stands  in  the  midst  of  fields  in  a 
small  community  in  Massachusetts,  not  far 
from  Boston.  The  walled-in  fore-court  or  door- 
yard  was  designed  to  separate  the  house  grounds 
from  the  wide  farm  lands  on  every  side.  It  is 
an  approach  or  introductory  passage  from  the 
road  to  the  house  door.  The  drive  and  roads  to 
the  barns  are  thus  separated  from  the  main  en- 
trance to  the  house. 

It  is  a  well  kept  level  place.  The  stone  walls 
make  a  strong  dividing  line  between  its  smooth 
lawns  and  the  rougher  ground  without  and  are 
in  keeping  with  the  farm  surroundings.  The 

39 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

picket  fence  in  front,  with  the  small  posts,  is  in 
keeping  with  the  colonial  character  of  the  house. 
Ampelopsis  is  growing  over  the  wall  to  soften  its 
surface.  Lilacs  are  massed  at  the  corners  near 
the  road,  Mock  Oranges  are  grouped  near  the 
entrance  gate,  and  Poplars  are  placed  in  two 
balancing  groups  just  outside  the  wall  near  the 
corners  of  the  house.  At  the  entrance  gate  stands 
a  great  Ash  with  an  enormous  spread  of  branches. 
It  dwarfs  the  house  and  creates  the  homey  im- 
pression so  often  unconsciously  attained  in  old 
farmyards  through  the  planting  of  one  large  tree 
near  the  front  door.  Here,  it  stands  so  far  from 
the  house  that  it  does  not  demand  the  sacrifice 
of  light  usual  in  the  older  examples.  The  old 
Apple  trees,  inside  the  yard,  are  pleasant  features 
that  add  to  its  simplicity.  The  narrow  flower  bor- 
ders along  the  inside  of  the  wall  are  composed  of  a 
very  few  kinds  of  plants  such  as  early  Yellow  Day 
Lilies,  Madonna  Lilies,  Larkspurs,  and  Phlox. 
They  are  planted  not  with  the  idea  of  producing 
a  carefully  arranged  border  that  would  attract 
particular  attention  but  with  the  idea  of  breaking 
up  the  long  straight  wall  surface  with  a  few  in- 
teresting plants  whose  color  would  be  refreshing 
against  the  gray  of  the  stone.  As  the  fore-court 

40 


PROBLEM  IV. 


THE  PLAN. 


ARTHUR  A.  SHURTLEFF 

is  considered  merely  as  an  approach,  a  place  to 
walk  through  and  not  a  garden  to  linger  in,  it  is 
essential  to  make  it  simple  enough  in  arrangement 
so  that  it  can  be  grasped  in  its  entirety  at  the  first 
glance. 

This  fore-court,  placed  here  to  conform  with 
the  colonial  style  of  the  house,  is  an  interesting 
free  interpretation  of  an  old  colonial  garden  form. 
The  front  doorway  garden,  as  it  was  found  in  old 
New  England  and  is  still  sparingly  seen  in  conser- 
vative communities,  is  a  form  derived  from  the 
English  fore-court,  of  which  the  English  doorway 
garden  is  a  humbler,  more  intimate,  and  less  formal 
expression.  In  these  colonial  examples,  the  front 
fence  stood  near  the  road  and  the  side  fences  ex- 
tended back  to  the  corners  of  the  house.  It  was, 
therefore,  rectangular  in  shape,  taking  its  dimen- 
sions from  the  width  of  the  house  and  the  distance 
it  was  placed  back  from  the  road.  At  first,  the 
enclosure  of  the  colonial  fore-yard  had  a  purely 
practical  reason  for  existence.  It  preserved  from 
the  inroads  of  cattle  a  little  clearing  where  the 
housewife  could  grow  a  few  flowers.  But  soon  it 
became  something  more.  There  was  an  attempt 
to  create  a  little  air  of  formality  for  the  approach 
to  the  front  door.  There  was  a  nice  striving  to 

41 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

separate  the  small  orderly  garden  from  the  rougher 
fields  and  the  bigger  expanses  of  surrounding 
country.  These  same  reasons  inspired  its  repeti- 
tion for  this  country  house.  In  its  simple  ar- 
rangement, there  is  a  message  to  every  dweller  in 
rural  communities,  a  suggestion  of  how  to  give  the 
farmhouse  a  worthy  dignity  through  an  appropri- 
ate setting. 

THE  GARDEN. 

To  one  side  of  the  house,  the  ground  slopes 
quite  steeply  and  a  small  garden  was  won  from 
the  surrounding  farm  lands  by  giving  it  three 
levels.  Highest  is  the  terrace  outside  the  living 
room  porch.  Going  down  five  steep  stone  steps 
we  stop  on  a  narrow  strip,  not  more  than  ten  feet 
wide,  where  Roses  grow  and  tumble  over  the  wall. 
Down  another  five  steps  and  we  stand  in  the 
garden  proper. 

It  is  a  very  small  garden.  It  is  walled  in  with 
the  same  field  stone  used  in  the  enclosure  of  the 
fore-court.  An  adequate  enclosure  is  one  of  the 
main  essentials  of  a  garden.  By  shutting  it  in, 
the  garden  is  relieved  of  the  disturbing  task  of 
competing  with  the  bigness  of  the  surrounding 
country  with  its  varied  nature.  The  trees  that 

42 


PROBLEM  IV.  e  No. 


THE  THREE  LEVELS  OF  THE  GARDEN. 


ARTHUR  A.  SHURTLEFF 

« 

arch  over  the  wall  add  much  to  the  interest  of  the 
enclosure.  The  charming  hooded  seat  built  into 
the  wall  reminds  one  of  seats  in  sheltered  corners 
of  English  gardens.  Without  the  two  arched 
gateways  the  garden  might  have  seemed  a  little 
cramped.  The  round  pool  in  the  center  of  the 
garden  is  little  larger  than  a  bird  bowl  but  it  is 
in  perfect  scale.  The  Japanese  Iris  are  grouped 
around  the  pool  and  the  specimen  Mugho  Pines 
make  accents  for  the  corners  of  the  grass  plot. 
The  flower  borders  are  very  narrow,  and  the 
flowers  are  necessarily  few,  but  they  are  of 
sufficient  variety  to  be  incidents  in  the  summer. 
When  I  saw  them  early  in  July,  two  great  Peony 
bushes  marked  either  side  of  the  seat,  the  white 
Japanese  Iris  was  in  full  bloom,  the  Foxgloves 
had  just  faded,  the  Larkspurs  were  beginning  to 
open,  and  a  very  little  early  pink  Phlox  had  just 
come  out. 

This  garden  has  all  the  requisite  elements, 
proper  enclosure,  flower  borders,  grass  plot,  pool 
and  seat,  and  ought  to  be  suggestive  to  the 
owners  of  farmhouses  where  gardens  can  only  be 
had  if  they  need  the  minimum  of  upkeep  and 
attention.  It  ought  to  be  suggestive  as  well  to 
the  owners  of  small  city  properties  who  generally 

43 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

despair  of  having  gardens  because  they  lack 
spacious  grounds,  unlimited  means,  and  gardening 
inclinations.  It  hints  at  the  possibilities  of  the 
small  garden  for  which  there  is  ample  need  and 
opportunity  in  our  towns  and  suburbs. 


44 


PROBLEM  IV.     No.  4. 


THE  GARDEN  SEEN  FROM  THE  HOUSE. 


PROBLEM  V 


45 


PROBLEM  V 

THE    PLANTING   OF   AN   APPROACH   AND   DRIVE    TURN, 

BY  OLMSTED  BROTHERS,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTS, 

BROOKLINE,  MASS. 

This  property  is  located  at  Chestnut  Hill,  Pa. 

WHILE  this  house  is  a  large  country  home 
with  very  interesting  terraces  and  gar- 
dens, its  approach  and  drive  turn  can  be  appro- 
priately considered  in  the  planting  of  a  small 
place.  The  house  is  suggestive  of  the  large  Eng- 
lish houses  with  its  long  irregular  plan,  its  series 
of  mullioned  windows,  and  its  many-gabled  roof. 

All  along  its  front,  following  the  curving  line  of 
the  drive,  there  is  a  hedging  of  clipped  Box  and 
a  few  tall  undipped  Box  bushes  are  grouped  in  a 
windowless  corner.  Such  uniformity  in  the  plant- 
ing along  the  house  walls  manifests  reserve  but 
it  is  necessary  to  accompany  it  by  planting  which 
will  relieve  its  regularity.  So,  Honeysuckle,  Ivy, 
and  Euonymus  are  creeping  up  the  stucco  walls, 

47 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

a  pink  climbing  Hybrid  Tea  Rose  has  reached  the 
second  story  window  above  the  rough  stone  which 
forms  the  stair  well,  and  Pachysandra,  the  lovely 
evergreen  ground  cover,  interplanted  with  Christ- 
mas Roses,  makes  a  charming  edging  in  front  of 
the  Box. 

The  oval  inside  the  drive  turn  is  dominated 
by  the  Beech.  Ivy,  Euonymus,  Myrtle,  and  the 
dwarf  St.  John's  Wort,  Hypericum  calycinum, 
creep  in  a  great  spreading  mat  around  the  broad 
trunk  of  the  tree.  On  one  side  Andromedas  are 
planted,  the  low  Andromeda  floribunda  and  its 
more  graceful  relative  Andromeda  japonic  a.  Or 
the  other  side  of  the  intertwining  vines  are  dwari 
Rhododendron  Wilsoni  which  have  lovely  small 
pink  flowers  and  next  to  them  are  Azalea  indict 
alba  which  are  crowned  with  heavy  clusters  oi 
white  flowers.  Just  beyond,  around  the  turn  tc 
the  left,  two  young  White  Pines  spread  theii 
horizontal  branches  over  Yews  and  Andromedas 
Finns  mugho,  and  a  few  Barberries.  In  amon| 
this  planting,  groups  of  Junipers  raise  their  slendei 
columns:  Juniperus  virginiana,  the  Common  Rec 
Cedar,  Juniperus  Kosteri,  and  Juniperus  chinensis, 
with  nice  variation  in  their  green,  gray,  and  sil- 
ver foliage  tones.  Beyond,  yet  farther  around  th( 

48 


PROBLEM"^. ^ No.  lA  «*  - 


THE  GREAT  BEECH. 


PROBLEM  V.     No.  2. 


THE  DRIVE  NEARING  THE  HOUSE. 


OLMSTED  BROTHERS 

turn  opposite  the  entrance  porch,  groups  of  slen- 
der Juniperus  Schotti  spring  up  out  of  a  low  plant- 
ing of  Andromedas,  Azalea  hinodegiri  with  its 
delicate  foliage  and  flat  branching,  and  Spircea 
thunbergii.  In  the  next  segment,  amid  Azaleas, 
Yews,  and  Mahonias,  the  pyramidal  Junipers 
appear  again,  scattered,  as  before,  in  longish 
irregular  groups,  but  the  interest  of  this  planting 
is  centered  upon  a  group  of  four  Dwarf  Horse- 
Chestnuts,  dEsculus  parviflora,  with  their  effective 
palmate  leaves  and  tall  plume-like  flower  spikes. 
This  planting  has  a  varied  and  intimate  character 
in  contrast  to  the  planting  of  the  bays  and  of  the 
outer  edges  of  the  drive  which  is  marked  by  a  big 
simplicity. 

To  the  left  of  the  gateway,  native  Rhododen- 
drons form  the  background  for  Laurels,  Androme- 
das, Mahonias,  and  Azalea  arborescens,  with  a  few 
Azalea  calendulaccea  for  a  bright  color  touch. 
Where  this  border  turns  to  become  the  enclosure 
of  the  larger  lawn  a  big  group  of  Tree  Lilacs 
makes  an  excellent  accent  in  the  shrubbery.  Their 
tall  white  flowers  are  very  striking  and  their  large 
and  heavy  oval  leaves  harmonize  with  the  broad- 
leaved  evergreens. 

Rhododendrons  form  the  dominant  planting  of 
4  49 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

the  other  bay  and  act  as  a  unifying  factor.  Masses 
of  native  Rose  Bay  are  placed  in  back  of  hybrid 
varieties.  There  are  crimson  Rhododendron  "  Par- 
sons/' pink  Rhododendron  "H.  Sargent,"  and  white 
Rhododendron  album  elegans.  They  are  arranged 
in  a  continuous  easy  flowing  line  around  the  bay. 
Where  the  boundary  rounds  in  toward  the  gate- 
way the  Rhododendron  masses  merge  into  Laurels 
and  these  give  place  to  dwarf  Rhododendron  Wil- 
soni.  Where  the  planting  approaches  the  house, 
the  Rhododendrons  are  supplanted  by  Azalea 
hinodegiri  and  by  the  lovely  Azalea  indica  alba. 
A  few  Magnolia  stellata  and  Cedars  are  placed  in 
back  of  them,  the  lovely  Magnolia  flowers  acting 
as  forerunners  to  the  even  lovelier  bloom  of  white 
Azaleas. 

This  planting  offers  flower  effects  of  great  beauty. 
Take,  for  example,  the  Andromedas  with  tender 
white  sprays,  the  pure  white  Azaleas,  the  delicate 
Laurels,  the  brilliant  Rhododendrons.  Each  effect 
is  distributed  through  the  various  sections  of  the 
planting.  Besides,  emphatic  color  spots  are  pro- 
vided, here  by  a  group  of  bright  Azalea  hinodegiri, 
there  by  a  few  starry  Magnolias,  here  by  a  cluster 
of  Dwarf  Horse-Chestnuts,  there  by  a  mass  of  Tree 

50 


PROBLEM  V.     No.  3. 


AT  THE  ENTRANCE  PORCH. 


PROBLEM  V.     No.  4. 


THE  HOUSE. 


INSIDE  THE  OVAL. 


PROBLEM  V.     No.  6. 


NEAR  THE  GATE. 


OLMSTED  BROTHERS 

Lilacs.  But  the  flower  effects,  attractive  as  they 
are,  act  only  as  color  incidents  amid  the  prevailing 
green  of  the  evergreen  planting. 

The  planting  offers  an  interesting  diversity  of 
forms.  The  graceful  drooping  habit  of  Andromeda 
japonica,  the  flat  branching  of  the  Yews,  the 
torchlike  shoots  of  the  Pinus  mugho,  the  compact 
growth  of  the  Box,  the  conical  shapes  of  the  Cedars, 
give  variation  to  the  strong  billowy  form  of  the 
Rhododendron  masses. 

The  big  entire  oval  leaves  of  the  Rhododen- 
dron are  arranged  in  large  paintable  clusters.  In 
harmony  with  them,  through  a  similarity  of  foliage, 
shape,  and  structure,  are  Laurels,  white  Azaleas, 
Andromedas,  Myrtle,  Euonymus,  Magnolias,  and 
Tree  Lilacs.  These  give  the  dominant  foliage 
note.  Amid  them  Mahonia  with  spiny  dentated 
leaves,  Spiraea  with  feathery  foliage,  White  Pines 
with  soft  needle  clusters,  Pachysandra  and  Christ- 
mas Roses  and  Dwarf  Horse-Chestnuts  make  pleas- 
ing deviations. 

The  planting  is  composed  almost  entirely  of 
evergreens.  The  green  of  their  persistent  foliage 
becomes  the  prevailing  color  of  the  approach, 
which  is  in  consequence  cool,  restful,  and  quiet, 
but  in  such  a  complexity  of  planting,  green  appears 

51 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

in  all  its  manifold  shades.  Take,  for  meager  ex- 
ample, the  somber  Rhododendron  green  and  con- 
trast it  with  the  varying  greens  of  the  different 
Junipers  or  with  the  light  delicate  green  of  Spircea 
thunbergii.  With  each  additional  variety,  the 
color  complexity  increases,  but,  by  delicate  adjust- 
ment, the  tone  of  one  green  mass  merges  into  and 
mingles  with  that  of  the  adjoining  one.  The 
blending  of  the  light  and  dark  tones,  together 
with  the  delicate  mottling  of  sunlight  and  shadow, 
gives  the  approach  a  wonderful  charm. 

Wonderful  as  the  planting  is,  it  does  not  exist 
for  itself  alone.  House,  approach,  and  planting 
are  considered  as  component  parts  of  one  big 
scheme.  This  triple  coordination  is  one  of  great 
subtlety  and  each  problem  demands  individual 
treatment.  Therefore,  the  charm  of  this  planting 
lies  in  the  fact  that  it  interprets  and  emphasizes 
the  atmosphere  of  the  house  and  the  essential 
character  of  the  approach.1 

1 1  wish  to  mention  that  I  obtained  the  use  of  this  problem  through 
the  kindness  of  Mr.  James  Frederick  Dawson,  an  Associate  Member 
of  the  firm  of  Olmsted  Brothers,  who  was  particularly  interested  in  the 
development  of  this  place. 


PROBLEM  V.     No.  7. 


THE  RHODODENDRONS. 


PROBLEM  VI 


53 


PROBLEM  VI 

A  SIMPLE  HOME-GROUND,  BY  PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE, 
LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECTS,  BOSTON,  MASS. 

This  property  is  located  at  Fall  River,  Mass.     Its  dimensions 
are  100  x  250  feet. 

WITH  an  inborn  knowledge  of  garden  art  and 
land  economy,  the  English  make  most 
intensive  use  of  their  grounds.  They  invariably 
divide  them,  no  matter  how  small  they  may  be, 
into  little  parcels  with  well  established  boundaries. 
It  is  this  custom  Americanized  that  is  the  subject 
of  this  problem. 

The  ground  in  front  of  the  house  is  developed 
into  a  shrub  and  tree  bounded  lawn,  kept  very 
simple  to  be  in  keeping  with  the  informal  and 
semi-suburban  character  of  a  Fall  River  street. 
The  planting  along  the  sidewalk  is  high  enough 
so  that  you  can  stand  unnoticed  on  the  lawn  but 
it  is  low  enough  to  allow  from  the  entrance  porch 

55 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

a  view  of  the  Fall  River  harbor.  This  view  is  a 
valuable  asset  to  the  property,  for  on  the  sloping 
land,  just  across  the  street,  steel  gray  rock  ledges 
are  overgrown  with  Bayberry,  Sweet  Fern,  and 
wild  Roses,  while  below  is  the  harbor,  and  beyond 
it  the  checker-board  particolored  fields  of  Rhode 
Island  framed  in  by  the  low  hills  of  Connecticut, 
all  blue  and  gray  in  the  distance.  The  omission 
of  the  planting  along  the  street  would  have  given 
a  broader  and  barer  view  of  the  harbor  but  this 
more  restricted  outlook  through  the  leafy  frame 
of  shrubs  and  arching  elm  branches  is  far  more 
pleasing. 

For  the  lawn  enclosure  it  is  essential  to  plant  not 
only  boundary  plantations  but  borders  along  the 
house.  This  is  often  a  difficult  .problem.  The 
composition  of  such  a  shrubbery,  while  interest- 
ing in  itself,  must  be  in  keeping  with  the  house. 
It  is  necessary  to  take  into  account,  also,  the  win- 
dow arrangement  so  that  spreading  branches  will 
not  encroach  upon  it.  This  difficulty  was  elimi- 
nated here.  The  balustraded  unroofed  porch,  re- 
sembling a  terrace,  allows  the  use  of  a  continuous 
shrubbery  border,  but  even  then,  it  is  necessary  to 
see  that  the  shrubbery  is  not  allowed  to  grow  too 
thick  and  massive. 

56 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

The  ground  in  back  of  the  house  is  divided  into 
four  parts.  Through  the  center  of  the  lot  runs  a 
flower-bordered  path.  This  terminates  in  the 
vegetable  garden.  Relegated  to  the  north  side  of 
the  lot,  to  be  near  the  kitchen,  are  laundry  yard, 
garage,  auto  run  and  turn-around  arranged  in  a 
closely  related  and  efficient  group.  On  the  south 
side  is  a  small  rectangle  enclosed  by  shrubbery 
which  is  called  the  orchard  because  of  its  five 
dwarf  fruit  trees.  Enclosed  by  vine-covered 
fences,  lattice  screens,  free-growing  shrubbery, 
and  clipped  hedges,  each  subdivision  can  be 
treated  as  a  part  by  itself  and  can  concentrate 
upon  itself  all  the  interest  of  the  moment. 

The  garage  is  connected  with  the  house.  Many 
interesting  problems  in  house  building  and  in  the 
development  of  the  grounds  would  arise  from  a 
desire  of  weaving  house  and  garage  into  one 
architectural  composition.  It  v/ould  do  away 
with  the  many  and  for  the  most  part  ugly  little 
outbuildings  which  are  spoiling  many  small  sub- 
urban properties. 

The  laundry  yard  is  a  narrow  space  between  the 
garage  and  the  lattice  screen  of  the  garden.  The 
auto  run  with  an  exit  on  a  back  street  is  a  pleasant 
tunnel  under  trees  that  arch  overhead.  The  turn- 

57 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

around  is  bounded  by  hedges  and  by  high  fences 
completely  hidden  under  rampant  Honeysuckle 
vines.  The  orchard  is  enclosed  by  shrubbery. 
The  shrubs  are  planted  in  straight  rows  but  the 
difference  in  their  habits  of  growth  and  in  the 
spread  of  their  branches  gives  the  appearance  of 
an  irregular  plantation. 

The  flower  garden  consists  of  narrow  flower  beds 
bordering  a  brick  path.  It  is  the  very  simplest 
kind  of  flower  garden.  The  lattice  on  the  north 
side  and  the  hedge  on  the  south  side  form  back- 
grounds which  will  in  time  make  it  a  secluded  walk. 
It  is  one  of  the  prime  requisites  of  small  perennial 
borders  that  they  be  crowded  with  plants.  In  a 
very  small  garden  it  is  well  to  remember  several 
points  in  making  a  choice  of  flowers.  Plants 
should  be  chosen  for  their  foliage  effectiveness. 
They  should  be  selected  for  striking  flowers  so 
that  a  few  plants  will  make  strong  color  notes  in 
the  planting.  Plants  with  long  blooming  periods 
should  be  given  preference,  for  then  only  a  few 
kinds  will  be  needed  for  a  continuous  effect. 
When  the  backbone  of  the  border  has  been  thus 
established,  then  many  other  plants  can  be  inserted 
for  added  color  interest.  The  path,  however, 
does  not  end  with  the  flower  borders.  Beyond 

58 


PRAY,  HUBBARD,  AND  WHITE 

the  rose  arch  it  extends  between  hedges  of  Cur- 
rant bushes  to  the  end  of  the  property.  This 
change  in  the  borders  of  the  path  seems  to  increase 
the  length  of  the  vista  and  gives  a  feeling  of  extent 
to  the  grounds.  The  vista  is  to  be  terminated 
by  a  garden  seat  harmonious  in  design  with  the 
lattice  which  is  to  be  placed  in  front  of  a  narrow 
border  of  shrubs,  growing  in  the  shade  of  several 
Maples. 

The  property  has  a  homey  quality.  It  is  de- 
veloped in  a  logical,  straightforward  way  in  direct 
response  to  practical  needs.  Its  plan  is  definite, 
clear  cut,  and  compact.  Each  and  every  part  has 
been  given  its  appropriate  share  of  plant  beauty. 
For  these  reasons  it  ought  to  be  suggestive  for 
other  lots  of  small  size. 


59 


PROBLEM  VII 


61 


PROBLEM  VII 

A  SIMPLE  HOME-GROUND  ON  A  SMALL  WOODED  HILLSIDE, 

BY  WARREN  H.  MANNING,  LANDSCAPE  DESIGNER, 

BOSTON,  MASS. 

This  property  is  located  at  Newark,  N.  J.    Its  dimensions 
are  100  x  275  feet 

A  SHRUBBERY -BOUNDED  lawn,  a  flower 
garden,  a  woods  with  a  curving  drive  are 
some  of  the  understood  requisites  of  a  large  es- 
tate, but  to  have  all  three  of  them  in  the  sub- 
urbs on  a  steeply  sloping  lot  of  only  a  100  feet 
frontage  and  275  feet  depth  hardly  seems  possi- 
ble until  we  see  a  concrete  example  such  as  this. 

Its  simplicity,  dignity,  and  naturalness  distin- 
guish it  from  all  the  thoughtless  and  unfinished 
planting  of  neighboring  lots  and  shows  that  efficient 
treatment  and  organized  planning  is  as  necessary 
for  a  small  place  as  for  a  large  one.  This  lot  is 
fortunate  in  having  some  tall  trees  with  a  mass 
of  undergrowth  characteristic  of  deciduous  woods. 

63 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

The  house  is  well  placed,  back  from  the  street, 
and  has  a  fine  suburban  spirit.  It  is  low  and 
rambling  with  quaint  roof  lines  that  make  it  nestle 
among  the  trees. 

The  plan  as  here  produced  is  of  the  place  as  it 
appeared  at  the  time  when  the  chapter  was  first 
written  and  not  wholly  as  it  was  originally  planned. 
The  plan  was  left  in  the  hands  of  the  owner  to 
carry  out.  Certain  things  were  changed,  by  the 
owner's  own  confession,  not  always  to  its  advan- 
tage, certain  things  have  never  been  developed  in 
accordance  with  the  original  intent,  but  the  touch 
of  the  landscape  architect's  hand  is  on  it. 

In  the  making  of  the  garden  picture,  there  are 
two  duties  to  be  performed,  a  duty  to  outsiders 
and  a  duty  to  oneself.  The  planting,  like  the 
exterior  of  the  house,  ought  to  be  an  asset  to  the 
street ;  the  grounds,  like  the  interior  of  the  house, 
ought  to  be  primarily  for  one's  own  comfort  and 
enjoyment,  a  place  as  private  as  possible  so  that  it 
can  be  in  reality  an  out-of-door  room.  Here  a 
Barberry  hedge  is  planted  along  the  front.  The 
simple  break  in  the  hedge  at  the  entrance  steps 
with  their  edging  of  trailing  Rosa  wichuriana  is 
more  appropriate  than  gate  posts  or  any  other 

64 


PROBLEM  VII. 


THE  PLAN. 


WARREN  H.  MANNING 

form  of  emphasis  could  have  been.  The  Barberry 
has  an  informality  of  habit  well  suited  to  this 
house.  When  left  undipped,  as  it  is  here,  it 
has  a  spreading  habit  which  is  very  pleasing  for 
its  position  here  on  the  top  of  the  low  grass  ter- 
race. Hedge  and  terrace  together  form  a  barrier 
of  six  or  seven  feet  which  gives  just  enough  privacy 
to  the  front  lawn  without  making  it  too  exclusive, 
for,  as  you  look  over  it  from  the  street,  you  can 
see  the  Lilac  tree  near  the  porch  and  the  Wistaria 
on  the  corner  of  the  house,  and  glimpses  of  the 
shrubs  in  the  borders. 

The  first  impression  you  get,  once  inside  the 
hedge,  is  a  feeling  of  space:  for  though  the  front 
lawn  is  not  more  than  80  feet  in  width  and  about 
40  feet  in  depth  it  is  smooth  and  uninterrupted. 
There  is,  however,  no  picture  in  just  a  green  lawn. 
The  surrounding  line  of  trees  and  shrubbery  is 
the  source  of  its  beauty;  it  gives  to  it  the  color 
of  the  flowers  and  the  varying  green  of  foliage, 
and  the  changing  shadows.  Here  the  street  trees 
enter  into  the  scheme  for  they  supply  the  large 
trees  without  encroaching  upon  the  lawn  space. 

The  planting  along  the  house  foundations  is  an 
interesting  use  of  low  growing  plants  with  taller 
5  65 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

shrubs  and  vines  and  small  trees.  It  is  the  pur- 
pose of  the  small  shrubs  to  soften  the  fixed 
rectangular  lines  of  the  house  with  gracefully 
curving  and  spreading  branches,  to  nestle  close 
to  the  foundations,  and  be  a  link  between  the 
house  wall  and  the  lawn.  The  shrubs  are  planted 
closely  together  to  give  continuous  effect  of  foliage 
in  summer  and  of  twigs  and  branches  in  winter. 
The  use  of  one  kind  of  plant  would  be  monoto- 
nous, the  use  of  too  many  kinds  spotty,  not  only 
in  flower  effect  but  in  foliage  values.  Spircea 
thunbergii  and  Stephanandra  flexuosa  are  planted 
along  the  front  of  the  house,  an  Actinidia  vine 
tumbles  luxuriantly  over  the  porch  railing,  a  Wis- 
taria climbs  up  the  corner  of  the  house,  and  climb- 
ing Roses  and  Peonies  are  planted  under  the  south 
window.  Together,  they  form  an  intermittent  suc- 
cession of  bloom  from  late  April  to  late  June. 

Lilacs  are  used  to  form  the  high  part  of  the 
south  shrubbery  and  are  the  main  feature  of  it. 
A  predominance  of  one  kind  of  shrub,  especially 
in  so  small  a  border,  is  one  way  of  insuring  a  har- 
monious foliage  effect  and  of  avoiding  a  spotty 
effect.  With  two  kinds  of  Forsythia,  Rugosa 
Roses,  and  Snowberries,  the  bloom  lasts  from  April 
until  August.  Though  the  house  shrubbery  and 

66 


WARREN  H.  MANNING 

that  of  the  border  are  each  complete  in  them- 
selves, they  complement  one  another.  The  Spiraea 
and  Forsythia  give  a  white  and  yellow  effect 
which  is  bright  and  cheerful  in  early  spring,  later 
the  Wistaria  and  Lilacs  give  a  quieter  effect  of 
lavender  and  purple. 

Naturally  the  emphasis  of  the  lawn  planting  was 
centered  on  the  south  side  as  it  is  seen  from  the 
main  living  room.  Through  this  concentration, 
the  north  side  was  neglected.  The  original  plan 
calls  for  a  low  wall  on  either  side  of  the  drive  and 
for  shrubbery  on  the  north  side  of  the  lawn.  It  is 
so  indicated  on  the  plan  here  presented  to  show 
how  such  treatment  would  hide  the  drive  from  the 
front  lawn  and  complete  the  picture  of  the  lawn 
with  its  surrounding  trees  and  flowering  shrubbery. 

The  small  flower  garden,  which  divides  the  front 
lawn  from  the  woods  in  the  back,  is  well  placed 
on  the  side  of  the  piazza.  Besides  the  shrubbery 
bounding  it  on  the  front  and  the  woods  in  the  back, 
a  trellis  for  vines  on  the  side  opposite  the  piazza 
hides  it  from  the  neighbor's  kitchen.  The  charm 
of  many  a  flower  garden  is  due  to  its  bounding 
lines  and  these  are  possible  in  the  smallest  garden. 

A  flower  garden  is  not  an  absolute  necessity  for 

67 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

a  well  arranged  informally  planted  small  place. 
It  can  be  considered  as  its  luxury.  It  has  not  been 
made  much  of  in  this  place.  The  space  left  for  it 
is  really  very  small,  far  too  small  for  a  regular 
garden,  but  such  a  little  square  can  be  crowded 
with  flowers,  leaving  only  enough  room  for  the  very 
narrow  paths  necessary  to  tend  them.  The  plants 
want  to  be  placed  very  close  together  in  order  to 
cover  the  entire  space.  They  want  to  make  a  closely 
woven  color  pattern,  for,  sitting  on  the  piazza  or 
standing  by  the  railing,  you  get  a  bird's-eye  view 
looking  down  into  the  bloom.  Such  a  secluded  little 
spot  need  not  be  kept  in  fine  trim,  nor  can  it  be  kept 
in  continuous  bloom.  It  seems  best  to  limit  the 
bloom  to  one  season  and  to  get  one  fine  effect.  It 
could  be  primarily  a  spring  garden  with  Daffodils 
or  late  Tulips  with  early  ground  covers  like  creep- 
ing Phloxes,  or  it  could  become  a  lovely  tangle  of 
Irises  and  Yellow  Day  Lilies,  it  could  be  quite  a 
choice  little  spot  filled  with  several  kinds  of  white 
Lilies,  or  it  could  become  an  autumn  garden  full  of 
perennial  Asters  or  hardy  Chrysanthemums. 

In  back  of  the  house,  the  ground  drops  off  at  a 
very  steep  grade.  Many  people  avoid  such  steep 
properties.  They  do  not  see  any  possibility  of 

68 


WARREN  H.  MANNING 

making  them  attractive  and  let  them  grow  up 
rank  with  weeds  and  washed  into  gullies  for  it  is 
well-nigh  impossible  to  make  them  into  lawns. 
Such  slopes  are  not  easy  to  handle  but  their  very 
difficulties  encourage  their  opportunities.  It  is 
interesting,  for  instance;  to  transform  them  into 
little  woodlands.  Such  treatment  is  especially 
harmonious  with  a  low  informal  picturesque  house 
such  as  this  one.  Even  if  the  ground  is  devoid 
of  trees,  a  woods  effect  can  be  created  in  a  com- 
paratively short  period  of  time  through  the  plant- 
ing of  some  extra  sized  trees  and  a  thick  naturalistic 
planting  of  wild  shrubs  and  small  trees.  On  this 
lot,  it  was  not  a  problem  of  creating  a  woods  for 
the  slope  was  part  of  a  century-old  forest,  it  was 
the  problem  of  preserving  the  character  and  spirit 
of  the  woods  through  the  planting  of  shade-loving 
shrubs  and  woodsy  flowers.  The  owner  realized 
and  appreciated  his  opportunity  and  though 
it  could  be  improved  through  more  and  better 
planting,  the  enchantment  of  the  woods  has  been 
preserved  in  wonderful  contrast  to  the  neighbor's 
yard  where  the  trees  have  been  destroyed. 

The  road  is  a  frank  straightforward  piece  of 
engineering  to  get  from  the  street  level  to  the  barn 
at  a  grade  possible  for  a  horse.  The  curve  is  a 

69 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

little  steep  for  the  automobile,  which  came  into  use 
after  the  road  was  built,  but  it  is  not  impracticable 
except  in  very  slippery  winter  weather.  The  road's 
very  picturesqueness  is  due  to  the  curve  which  was 
a  necessity.  It  provides  a  series  of  woodland  pic- 
tures. The  views  from  the  dining  room  windows 
and  from  the  piazza  are  especially  charming.  The 
open  glade  where  the  road  runs  along  the  back  of 
the  house  provides  a  small  laundry  yard. 

Trees  and  shrubs,  for  the  most  part  decidu- 
ous, predominate  over  flowers  and  ever-greens. 
These  give  interest  to  the  grounds  in  all  sea- 
sons. In  spring  they  cheer  with  delicate  flowers, 
in  summer  they  rest  with  abundant  green  and 
shade,  in  autumn  and  winter  they  enliven  the 
grounds  with  bright  fruit  and  colored  twigs.  This 
is  one  of  the  most  important  points  to  keep  in  mind 
in  the  planting  of  small  places,  for  the  suburban 
grounds  are  the  setting  for  houses  which  are  in  use 
the  year  around.1 

1  Since  the  chapter  was  written  and  the  pictures  taken,  the  original 
owner  has  died  and  the  place  has  been  sold.  Through  neglect  and 
changes  made  by  an  untutored  and  unsympathetic  hand  the  place  has 
almost  lost  in  the  short  space  of  two  years  its  essential  charm.  The 
place  never  had  unusual  care,  nor  did  it  require  the  trimness  of  less 
informal  places,  but  now  it  has  lost  the  ever  sympathetic  understanding 
of  its  spirit.  I  make  note  of  it  with  regret  in  justice  to  the  original 
owner  and  to  the  landscape  architect,  to  emphasize  the  worth  of  intelli- 
gent maintenance. 

70 


PROBLEM  VIII 


PROBLEM   VIII 

AN  INFORMAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  A  SMALL  PROPERTY, 

BY  HAROLD  A.  CAPARN,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

This  property  is  located  at  Larchmont,  N.  Y.     Its  dimen- 
sions are  150  x  200  feet 

THIS  oblong  piece  of  land,  less  than  an  acre, 
lies  between  the  street  and  a  picturesque 
inlet  of  Long  Island  Sound.  An  outcrop  of  rock 
formed  the  highest  part  of  the  ground,  which  sloped 
first  gently,  then  with  an  abrupt  dip  toward  the 
water.  A  few  old  Apple  trees  were  dotted  along 
its  outlines,  old  overgrown  and  intergrown  Thorns 
were  scattered  about  in  big  groups.  Such  were 
the  existing  conditions. 

The  house  is  located  on  a  rocky  ledge.  The 
stone  of  the  cellar  excavation  was  used  for  the 
building  of  the  first  story.  The  ledge  as  an 
integral  part  of  the  house,  together  with  the 
Thorns  which  are  by  merest  chance  so  picturesquely 

73 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

grouped  around  it,  suggested  the  name  of  "Thorn- 
ledge." 

The  house  stands  very  near  the  street  boundary 
which  is  an  advantage  as  it  allows  an  uninter- 
rupted use  of  the  grounds.  On  a  small  property 
this  fact  is  particularly  worthy  of  note.  There 
would  have  been  no  advantage  in  setting  the 
house  back  from  the  village  street,  which  has  no 
traffic,  while  it  was  very  desirable  to  get  a  big  ex- 
panse of  lawn  as  a  foreground  for  the  inlet  view. 
As  this  is  on  the  southern  side  of  the  house  it  was 
important,  too,  to  place  the  main  rooms  upon  it. 
This  seems  the  most  logical  development,  a  natural 
solution,  the  only  one  in  fact,  yet  you  will  find  that 
very  few  people  take  such  important  .matters  into 
consideration  in  house  building.  This  same  care 
is  shown  in  placing  the  house  parallel  to  the  stream 
at  the  foot  of  the  property  and  caused  its  unusual 
angle  to  the  street  which  is  not  noticeable  at  all 
because  of  the  ingenious  arrangement  of  the  en- 
trance with  the  inset  of  the  gate  on  the  diagonal. 
Inside  the  gate,  the  shrubbery,  the  curve  of  the 
brick  walk,  and  the  tangle  of  Thorns  hide  the 
front  door.  The  Carmine  Pillar  Roses  and  Clema- 
tis on  the  gate  arch,  the  Rhododendrons  along  the 
house  wall,  the  Laurels  around  the  front  porch, 

74 


PROBLEM  VIII. 


THE  PLAN. 


HAROLD  A.  CAPARN 

the  Thorns  along  the  walk,  the  Apple  tree  near  the 
hedge,  the  shrubs  grouped  in  a  heavy  mass  along 
the  side  boundary  combine  in  giving  continuous 
interest  and  color  to  the  entrance  walk  and  em- 
phasize the  informal  character  of  the  house. 

Service  paths  on  small  properties  are  especially 
difficult  problems  to  deal  with.  The  monotony 
in  so  many  suburban  and  city  streets  where  two 
straight  paths  cut  up  each  lot  front  and  form 
tiresome  ribbon  bands  of  paving  along  the  whole 
street  makes  any  ingenuity  and  originality  ex- 
pressed in  the  solving  of  this  problem  welcome. 
Here,  it  seems  most  naturally  done.  The  little 
branch  path  curves  off  the  main  path  and  then 
it  is  almost  hidden  by  the  outstretching  branches 
of  the  shrubbery  borders.  It  has  the  essential  de- 
manded of  all  the  service  parts  of  the  grounds,  that 
they  are  screened  and  hidden  away  from  all  the 
rest  of  the  property. 

Tree  and  shrub  enclosures  are  absolute  essentials 
in  developing  lawns.  What  they  add  to  the  lawn, 
in  giving  privacy  and  in  creating  general  interest, 
is  not  generally  appreciated  nor  understood  by 
owners  of  small  properties.  For  the  surroundings 
of  most  lawns  the  boundaries  should  be  as  high 

75 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

and  heavy  and  impregnable  as  tall  trees  and 
shrubbery  can  make  them.-  The  same  trees  and 
shrubbery  that  here  bound  the  lawn  space  hide 
the  barn  buildings  on  neighboring  properties  and 
make  a  frame  for  the  view. 

This  property  is  only  150  by  200  feet.  For  the 
complete  and  intensive  use  of  a  piece  of  ground, 
even  of  this  size,  more  than  a  lawn  is  necessary. 

A  terrace  is  a  means  of  transition  between  the 
house  and  lawn.  Terraces  are  capable  of  many 
forms,  shapes,  and  characters.  They  can  be  spa- 
cious, dignified,  ornate,  and  formal  to  harmonize 
with  the  most  elaborate  house,  they  can  be  as 
small,  simple,  and  informal  as  any  suburban  house 
may  require.  Here  the  small  oblong  grass  plot 
is  surrounded  by  narrow  brick  paths  which  are 
bounded  on  the  outer  side  by  undipped  Barberry 
hedging.  This  is  the  simplest  form  a  terrace 
can  take.  It  is  particularly  fortunate  in  winter 
to  have  such  a  sunny  spot  close  to  the  house. 
The  brick  paths  make  it  dry  to  walk  on  and  the 
red  Barberry  berries  look  bright  and  cheery.  In 
the  first  plan  for  the  terrace  the  grass  plot  was 
divided  into  three  panels,  a  pool  in  the  center  with 
flowers  on  either  side.  This  idea,  shown  on  the 

76 


HAROLD  A.  CAPARN 

plan,  illustrates  how  even  such  a  small  place  can 
be  full  of  interest  and  color. 

Steps  from  the  terrace  lead  down  to  narrow 
strips  of  ground  on  the  east  and  west  sides  of  the 
lawn.  The  eastern  side  of  the  property  was 
originally  thought  out  as  the  service  side  of  the 
garden  but  it  is  so  full  of  color  and  flowers  that  it 
hardly  gives  any  suggestion  of  the  original  inten- 
tion. A  path  runs  along  the  whole  length  to  a  tool 
house.  It  is  shut  off  from  the  lawn  by  a  hedge  and 
for  part  of  the  way  it  is  under  the  curving  grape 
arbor.  It  is  very  simply  built,  its  curve  is  inter- 
esting, and  its  pointed  roof  construction  gives  a 
rather  quaint  impression.  It  is  built  very  low  and 
is  set  so  far  below  the  terrace  that  in  a  very  few 
years  it  has  become  almost  hidden  by  the  matur- 
ing trees,  shrubbery,  and  vines. 

On  the  side  of  the  arbor  is  an  oddly  shaped  little 
piece  of  ground  given  to  Roses  and  small  fruits. 
Many  kinds  of  native  and  bush  Roses  are  planted 
in  a  thick  mass  along  the  terrace  wall.  Rosa  Blanda, 
Rosa  spinossissima,  Persian  Yellow  Roses,  Rosa 
rubrifolia,  Rosa  rubiginosa  which  is  the  Sweet  Brier, 
Rosa  nitida,  Rosa  lucida,  Madam  Pantier  Roses, 
and  Rosa  Carolina,  to  attempt  to  give  them  in  their 
succession  of  bloom,  give  a  bright  tangle  of  color. 

77 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Every  garden  should  have  Roses  for  cutting  and 
yet  Hybrid  Tea  and  Hybrid  Perpetual  Roses  can 
hardly  be  associated  with  shrubbery.  It  is  diffi- 
cult to  find  an  appropriate  place  for  them  in  a 
garden  which  is  developed  in  such  a  naturalistic 
way  as  this  one.  Here,  they  have  been  planted  in 
beds  with  the  Gooseberries  and  Currants.  This 
arrangement  gives  both  Roses  and  small  fruits 
the  space  they  need  for  good  development.  If 
Roses  cannot  have  the  dignity  of  a  separate  garden, 
which  is  hardly  possible  in  a  small  place  of  this 
kind  where  intensive  use  ought  to  be  made  of  every 
bit  of  ground,  this  combination  of  Roses  and  small 
fruits  is  a  very  good  one. 

To  the  north  of  the  Roses  is  the,  drying  yard 
tucked  away  behind  hedges.  Iris  and  Chrysanthe- 
mums are  planted  along  the  side  of  the  hedge. 
To  the  south  of  the  Roses  is  an  oblong  plot  origi- 
nally planned  for  the  vegetable  garden,  but  now 
a  secluded  little  nook.  The  great  old  Apple  tree 
makes  it  a  nice  shady  little  spot  with  the  simple 
lawn  space  between  yellow  Iris  that  grow  on  one 
side  and  white  and  pink  Peonies  on  the  other. 

While  the  eastern  side  of  the  property  is  allotted 
to  utilitarian  purposes  and  shows  how  pretty  such  a 

78 


PROBLEM  VIII.     No.  5. 


THE  TERRACE. 


HAROLD  A.  CAPARN 

useful  little  strip  of  ground  can  be  made,  the  west 
side  was  developed  in  a  purely  decorative  way 

The  outcropping  ledges  immediately  to  the  west 
of  the  house  are  overgrown  with  Wichuriana  Roses 
and  in  among  them  are  such  rock  plants  as  the 
yellow  Sedums  and  creeping  Phloxes  and  Helian- 
themum  which  form  a  wild  little  spot  almost  en- 
tirely enclosed  yet  a  part  of  the  larger  lawn. 

The  west  path  starts  at  the  terrace  and  makes  a 
big  generous  curve  to  the  extreme  western  side  of 
the  grounds.  It  is  an  informal  one  passing  through 
masses  of  shrubbery.  Interspersed  with  the  shrubs 
to  brighten  them  with  color  spots  and  fill  in  bare 
places  are  patches  of  low  and  creeping  flowers 
which  grow  over  the  rough  stone  edging  of  the 
path.  Occasionally  the  shrub  mass  is  broken,  just 
enough  to  give  views  of  the  lawn  through  the 
gaps. 

Such  paths,  full  of  interest  in  growing  and  flower- 
ing things,  are  ways  of  making  the  grounds  seem 
larger.  There  is  no  attempt  at  deception  or  optical 
delusion.  The  result  is  gained  simply  by  engrossing 
one's  interest  in  every  step  of  the  way  so  that  one 
lingers  longer  upon  it.  A  curved  path  is  better 
for  this  than  a  straight  one.  The  curved  path 
gradually  unfolds  its  varied  pictures  to  the  be- 

79 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

holder  as  he  passes  along  while  a  straight  path 
opens  up  one  long  vista  to  him  all  at  one  time. 
The  planting  of  a  straight  path  needs  to  be 
arranged  to  obtain  one  unified  effect  throughout 
its  entire  length,  the  planting  of  a  curving  path, 
where  only  little  portions  of  the  way  ai;e  seen, 
can  be  made  up  of  a  series  of  different  effects. 
Such  a  path  can  be  kept  continually  interest- 
ing, not  only  one  part  of  it  but  along  its  whole 
course.  This  interest  is  obtained  not  through 
great  diversity  of  plants  but  through  thoughtful 
distribution.  Each  group  of  plants — for  a  border 
in  plan  is  divided  into  arbitrary  groups  not 
visible  in  the  planting — is  composed  of  two  or 
three  kinds  of  shrubs  that  arouse  attention  at 
different  times.  Japanese  Barberry  and  Clethra 
alnifolia,  the  Sweet  Pepper  Bush,  are  inter- 
planted.  The  Japanese  Barberry  provides  early 
spring  bloom  and  winter  interest  and  the  Sweet 
Pepper  Bush  gives  a  good  summer  effect  with 
its  white  flowers.  Spirt? a  Anthony  Water er  and 
Hypericum  aureum  have  two  different  summer 
periods  of  bloom.  Kerria  japonica  and  Snow- 
berries  have  two  periods.  The  white  Snowber- 
ries  are  effective  in  autumn  and  the  green  Kerria 
stems  are  conspicuous  in  winter  time.  Cornus 

80 


PROBLEM  VIII.     No.  7. 


THE  APPLE  TREE. 


PROBLEM  VIII.  No.  8. 


THE  SHRUBBERY  PATH. 


HAROLD  A.  CAPARN 

alba  and  Common  Barberry  are  interplanted. 
The  Barberry  has  its  greenish  yellow  pendants 
in  April,  the  Cornel  has  small  flat  clusters  of 
white  flowers  in  June.  In  autumn  the  white 
Cornel  berries  make  a  contrast  with  the  red  fruit 
of  the  Barberry  and  in  winter  Cornus  alba  has 
brilliant  red  stems.  Again  Stephanandra  and 
Regel's  Privet  are  planted  together.  One  blooms 
in  May,  the  other  in  July.  They  have  an  in- 
teresting winter  effectiveness  for  the  Stephanandra 
stems  are  orange  tinted  and  the  Privet  has  per- 
sistent black  fruit.  Philadelphus  microphyllus  and 
Spircea  Anthony  Waterer  are  grouped  together. 
The  foliage  delicacy  and  small  dainty  white  flowers 
of  this  variety  of  Mock  Orange  are  quite  choice  in 
comparison  with  the  coarser  growth  of  the  Spiraea 
and  give  two  distinctly  different  effects  to  the 
same  spot. 

In  such  careful  massing  the  shrubs  can  be  used 
in  small  groups,  sometimes  only  one  of  a  kind, 
sometimes  five  or  six  plants  used  together.  In 
this  kind  of  grouping  there  is  always  something 
new  and  interesting,  always  something  different 
on  the  path  to  attract  attention,  through  the 
whole  cycle  of  seasons,  which  makes  a  new  little 
garden  adventure  every  time  we  pass  along. 

6  8l 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

While  the  attention  given  to  seasonal  effects 
makes  this  path  of  continual  interest,  it  is  the 
consideration  given  to  the  foliage  effect  and  to 
shrub  habit  which  binds  the  shrubs  together 
into  a  unified  border.  It  is  the  complexity  of 
these  varied  considerations  that  makes  border 
planting  such  a  difficult  problem,  one  which  re- 
quires an  artistic  feeling  to  do  it  justice. 


82 


PROBLEM  IX 


PROBLEM  IX 

A  FORMAL  ARRANGEMENT  OF  A   SUBURBAN   PROPERTY, 
BY  OGLESBY  PAUL,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT 

This  property  is  located  at  Villa  Nova,  Pa.    Its  dimensions 
are  150  x  300  feet 

THIS  garden  reminds  me  of  a  triptych  of  an  old 
altarpiece  for  it  is  made  up  of  three  parts 
built  upon  straight  lines  in  a  carefully  balanced 
design.  The  main  picture  is  in  the  large  central 
panel  while  the  narrow  wings  picture  the  minor 
events.  The  central  garden  is  in  full  view  of  the 
house.  It  is  the  garden  which  is  most  carefully 
tended  and  in  it  the  succession  of  bloom  is  carefully 
carried  out.  The  side  gardens,  as  the  lesser  parts 
of  the  design,  are  reserved  for  special  effects. 
They  are  .more  secluded,  more  sheltered,  and 
therefore  need  less  careful  attention. 

One  often  imagines  that  only  a  large  place  can 
support  such  a  set  of  gardens  but  they  have  been 
compacted  into  this  small  area  with  great  nicety. 

85 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Each  part  has  a  feeling  of  breadth  and  bigness, 
for  the  design  is  worked  out  on  simple  and 
straightforward  lines. 

The  house  has  a  simple  plan.  The  front  and 
back  of  the  main  portion  are  very  similar  with 
a  central  doorway  flanked  on  both  sides  by  two 
windows.  To  one  side  of  the  main  portion  is  the 
porch,  on  the  other  side  the  service  wing. 

The  central  doorway  encourages  the  balanced 
design  of  the  gardens  as  it  necessitates  a  strong 
axis  line.  Upon  it  are  arranged  three  interestingly 
varied  parts.  Just  outside  the  door  is  a  little 
courtlike  place.  It  is  hedged  with  clipped 
Privet  and  paved  with  old  brick  laid  herringbone. 
Pyramidal  Box  bushes  flank  the  doorway  and 
Hollyhocks  are  growing  up  by  the  side  of  the 
windows.  On  either  side  are  very  simple  wooden 
benches  and  in  back  of  each  stands  a  standard 
globe-shaped  Privet.  These  clipped  curiosities 
are  becoming  very  common  in  nurseries  and  are 
being  very  much  misused  and  overased.  It  is 
safest  to  avoid  them  altogether.  Occasionally, 
however,  such  oddities  have  a  place  in  strictly 
formal  positions  as  in  this  little  hedged  off  place 
near  the  house.  Outside  the  hedge — still  centered 

86 


PROBLEM  IX. 


THE  PLAN. 


X 


OGLESBY  PAUL 

on  the  main  axis — the  octagonal  pool  ornamented 
with  four  clipped  Box  balls  stands  in  the  center 
of  a  little  piazza.  Beyond  the  pool  is  the  lawn 
which  is  the  central  picture  of  the  triptych.  Old 
Apple  and  Pear  trees,  that  have  roses  climbing 
up  the  trunks,  are  scattered  over  it  and  give  it 
a  quaint  old-fashioned  look.  The  lawn  is  edged 
on  its  four  sides  by  flower  borders.  When  I  first 
saw  these  borders,  early  in  June,  they  were  mainly 
blue  and  white  with  touches  of  cream  and  pink. 
There  were  clumps  of  Iris  and  groups  of  Lupines 
at  more  or  less  regular  intervals  with  Columbines 
scattered  in  between.  I  saw  them  again  the  last 
of  June.  Then  the  Madonna  Lilies  were  out  in 
great  numbers.  Larkspurs  were  sprinkled  through 
the  borders  in  delicate  groups  and  pink  Sweet 
William  was  out,  making  almost  too  thick  a  mat. 

At  the  farther  end  of  the  lawn  a  wall  extends 
across  the  whole  width  of  the  property.  The 
old-time  spirit  of  the  garden  is  expressed  best 
perhaps  in  this  wall  with  its  gray  cement  finish, 
its  brick  coping,  its  vines — Actinidia  and  Grape, 
Honeysuckle  and  Roses — that  are  making  a  tangle 
over  it.  This  same  quaintness  is  accentuated 
in  its  architectural  features.  At  one  end  is  an 

87 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

arched  opening  with  lattice  bars.  The  recessed 
seat,  in  the  center,  has  a  slightly  curved  arch 
overhead  and  a  delicate  lattice  back  on  which 
Roses  are  clambering.  Next  to  it  is  a  round- 
headed  gateway  with  a  solid  wooden  door.  At 
the  other  end  is  the  best  of  all  its  features,  a 
curved  seat  forming  a  segment  of  a  circle.  The 
lattice  at  its  back  is  arranged  in  panels  that 
look  like  casement  windows  and  above  it  there 
is  a  beamed  overhang.  Something  about  this 
seat,  placed  in  the  deep  shade  of  tall  trees  with 
only  faint  mottled  sunlight  coming  down  through 
the  leaves,  something  in  its  cool  gray,  almost 
ruined  look  gives  it  a  charming  timeworn  spirit. 
Such  a  feeling  in  a  ten-year-old  garden  is  not  the 
result  of  neglect  but  is  expressive  of  an  indescrib- 
able atmosphere  which  is  found  in  gardens  where 
there  is  a  leaving  of  well  enough  alone. 

The  side  panels  of  the  triptych  are  composed  of 
long  straight  grass  paths.  One  is  bordered  by 
deciduous  shrubbery  and  flowers,  the  other  by 
evergreens.  Such  straight  paths  have  a  host  of 
possibilities.  In  England  the  lovely  wall  gardens 
and  clipped  Yew  walks  are  built  along  straight  lines. 
In  the  south  we  have  remnants  of  Box-edged  paths 

88 


PROBLEM  IX.     No.  2. 


PROBLEM  IX.     No.  3. 


THE  PERGOLA. 


THE  POOL. 


PROBLE  i  DC .  Na..  4,     , 


PROBLEM  IX.    No.  5. 


THE  SEAT  IN  THE  WALL. 


OGLESBY  PAUL 

and  alleys  of  old  trees.  Grass  walks  bordered  by 
free-growing  shrubbery  and  trees  with  all  the 
interest  which  comes  from  varying  foliage  tones 
and  interesting  skylines  make  possible  a  host  of 
fine  possibilities  for  modern  gardens.  Here  the 
deciduous  shrubbery  path  is  a  very  shady  one. 
The  trees  arch  overhead  and  the  shrubbery 
spreads  its  branches  over  the  grass.  The  prevailing 
lines  are  horizontal.  The  evergreen  path  has  just 
the  same  dimensions  but  the  columnar  habit  of  the 
trees  keeps  the  path  open  to  the  sky  and  the 
dominant  lines  perpendicular.  _ 

When  shrubbery  plays  the  dominant  part  in  the 
border,  as  it  does  in  this  deciduous  shrubbery  path, 
it  is  difficult  to  incorporate  flowers  into  it.  I  have 
seen  so  many  instances  where  flowers  add  only  fussy 
little  farcical  parts  to  really  good  shrubbery  acting. 
This  failing  in  flowers  to  play  their  legitimate  part 
is  very  noticeable  in  paths  of  this  kind  where  they 
must  be  treated  frankly  as  subordinates  and  yet 
where  they  have  a  chance  to  heighten  the  interest 
by  some  really  clever  touches.  What  attracted 
me  to  this  path  was  the  chance  glimpse — over 
the  neighbor's  hedge — when  the  Oriental  Poppies 
were  blooming.  Scattered  singly  at  regular  inter- 
vals throughout  the  length  of  both  borders  their 

89 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

strong  color  was  silhouetted  against  the  green  of 
grass  and  shrub.  It  is  the  use  of  this  rich  color 
all  alone  amid  the  green  which  makes  the  very 
uniformity  of  the  effect  so  splendid.  When  such 
single  effects  follow  one  another  month  by  month, 
the  flower  succession  is  quite  wonderful. 

In  selecting  flowers  for  such  individual  effects  in 
connection  with  shrubbery,  great  care  ought  to  be 
taken  to  make  the  plants  really  count.  Plants 
with  vivid  coloring  like  Lychnis,  Orange  Milk- 
weed, and  Tiger  Lilies  are  good;  plants  with  a 
shrubby  habit  like  Baptista  australis,  the  Blue 
Indigo,  and  Buddlea  varidbilis,  the  Butterfly 
Flower,  and  Careopteris  mastacanthus,  the  Blue 
Spiraea,  are  excellent;  and  plants  that  adapt 
themselves  easily  to  naturalization  like  Daffodils 
and  Mertensias,  like  Meadow  Rues  and  Snake- 
roots,  like  Asters  and  Joe  Pye  Weed  and  Golden- 
rods,  are  very  effective. 

In  the  borders  of  the  evergreen  walk,  the  per- 
pendicular lines  are  gained  through  the  use  of 
Retinisporas.  The  emphasis  upon  this  one  variety 
gives  the  path  a  satisfying  stability  while  the  few 
Pines  and  Hemlocks  that  are  scattered  at  the  back 
of  the  borders  relieve  the  possibility  of  any  mo- 
notony. I  had  hitherto  considered  that  Retini- 

9o 


PROBLEM  IX.     No.  6. 


THE  SHRUBBERY  PATH. 


PROBLEM  IX.     No.  7. 


THE  EVERGREEN  PATH. 


OGLESBY  PAUL 

sporas  were  only  good  for  strictly  formal  effects, 
but  here  by  being  scattered  along  the  length  of 
the  borders  in  irregularly  placed  groups  of  two  or 
three  plants  they  have  attained  a  distinctly  in- 
formal feeling.  They  have  been  so  grouped  that 
in  each  small  clump  plants  of  different  tints  and 
different  feathered  foliage  offset  one  another,  which 
gives  variety  in  foliage  and  a  nice  warmth  of  tone 
to  the  borders. 

Azalea  amoena  and  Abelia  rupestris  form  the 
predominent  note  among  the  lower  plants  that  are 
used  between  the  Retinispora  groups.  The  foli- 
age of  these  two  varieties  is  so  harmonious  that 
they  look  charming  so  interplanted.  The  spread- 
ing habit  and  lovely  foliage  of  the  Azalea  amcena 
make  it  a  welcomed  member  of  a  border  in  sum- 
mer and  in  winter  but  its  magenta  flowers  are  a 
difficult  color  element  to  deal  with  in  most  places. 
Here,  however,  where  it  is  the  only  color  at  the 
time  it  is  in  bloom  amid  many  evergreens,  its 
brightness  must  be  altogether  pleasing  and  re- 
freshing. While  the  Azalea  amcena  makes  the 
important  spring  color,  the  Abelia  rupestris  gives 
a  charmingly  soft  effect  with  pale  blush  flowers  in 
drooping  clusters  in  early  autumn.  In  between 
the  Azalea  and  Abelia  groups  are  scattered  other 

91 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

plants  that  give  foliage  variety  without  disturbing 
the  unity  of  the  borders.  Here  is  a  plant  of  gray- 
toned  Juniperus  pfitzerii,  there  a  few  Pinus 
mugho,  here  a  Yew,  there  a  bush  of  undipped 
Box,  here  a  few  Dogwoods  for  a  spring  touch, 
there  one  Elder  for  June,  and  farther  on  a  dwarf 
Horse-Chestnut  for  July  and  August,  and  most 
charming  of  all  a  flame-colored  Ghent  Azalea 
blooming  beside  a  lavender  Rhododendron  in  early 
June.  This  exquisite  color  study  is  at  the  end  of 
the  evergreen  path  in  front  of  the  semicircular  seat. 
As  it  can  be  seen  from  across  the  big  central  gar- 
den it  is  particularly  lovely  when  it  helps  to  key 
up  the  blue  of  the  Iris  and  Lupines  that  are  bloom- 
ing at  that  time.  These  paintable  bits  linger 
long  in  one's  memory.1 

1 1  obtained  permission  from  Mr.  Oglesby  Paul  to  make  use  of  this 
problem  some  months  before  his  death.  Paul  and  Ford,  his  successors, 
have  been  very  kind  in  putting  the  plan  at  my  disposal. 


PROBLEM  X 


93 


PROBLEM  X 

A  NATURALISTIC  ARRANGEMENT  OF  A  CITY  PROPERTY,  BY 

ALLING  S.  DEFOREST,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

ROCHESTER,  N.  Y. 

This  property  is  located  at  Rochester,  N.  Y.    Its  dimensions 
are  120  x  500  feet 

THE  elongated  proportions  of  this  city  lot,  with 
the  unusual  depth  of  500  feet,  gave  the  op- 
portunity for  the  naturalistic  development  of  this 
property.  The  main  interest  is  centered  upon  the 
big  South  lawn  in  back  of  the  house.  It  is  a  long, 
sunny  grass  space  bounded  by  heavy  enclosures. 
Behind  it  is  a  smaller  lawn,  more  secluded  and 
wilder  for  the  Narcissus  that  are  naturalized  in  the 
grass  prevent  its  mowing  until  the  leaves  have  died 
down.  Tucked  away  in  one  corner  beside  the 
Narcissus  lawn  is  the  Wild  garden.  South  lawn, 
Narcissus  lawn,  and  Wild  garden  are  connected  by 
a  curving  path.  This  path  affords  an  easy  short 
cut  from  the  house  to  a  farther  street  on  which  the 

95 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

car  line  is  located  and  gives  a  pleasant  opportunity 
for  the  daily  use  of  the  property. 

On  one  side  of  the  South  lawn,  on  the  east  side 
of  the  property,  are  the  drive,  service  court,  and 
garage.  They  have  been  put  there  to  be  near  the 
kitchen  and  out  of  the  view  of  the  living  room 
windows  and  the  porches.  This  seems  such  a 
logical  arrangement  that  it  is  difficult  to  under- 
stand the  possibilities  of  any  other,  and  yet  in  the 
scheme  first  arranged  before  the  landscape  archi- 
tect's services  were  solicited,  the  drive  swung 
around  the  back  of  the  house  and  ended  in  a  turn- 
around and  garage  at  the  west  side  of  the  property 
directly  in  back  of  the  living  *  rooms.  A  hard 
gravel  strip  of  drive  would  have  divided  the  house 
from  the  entire  back  of  the  property  and  garage 
and  turn-around  enclosure  would  have  hidden  it 
away  from  view.  It  was  to  have  been  a  sorry 
prosaic  place  full  of  the  cares  of  a  household.  It 
needed  a  bigger  vision  to  relegate  all  the  service 
to  the  kitchen  side  of  the  house  and  in  that  way 
preserve  an  unbroken  lawn  which  could  be  enclosed 
by  quiet  foliage,  enlivened  by  the  color  of  flowers, 
and  made  pleasant  by  the  play  of  shadows  on  the 
grass.  It  needed  an  imagination  to  create  this 

96 


PROBLEM  X. 


THE  PLAN. 


PROBLEM  X.     No.  i. 


THE  ENTRANCE  PATH. 


ALLING  s.  DEFOREST 

lawn  which  was  to  foster  through  a  diminutive  and 
freely  rendered  replica  of  natural  scenes  a  delight 
in  the  wide  out-of-doors  by  putting  the  lawn  where 
it  could  be  seen  directly  from  the  windows  of  the 
living  rooms,  by  making  it  an  easy  matter  to  step 
right  out  on  the  grass,  and  by  tempting  one 
through  interesting  plant  material  to  explore  all 
the  nooks  and  corners  of  lawn  and  garden. 

The  emphasis  of  the  planting  of  the  South  lawn 
is  laid  on  the  west  boundary.  Such  boundary 
screens  are  generally  considered  by  the  layman  as  a 
collection  of  heterogeneous  shrub  and  tree  material 
planted  close  together  without  much  thought  as 
to  arrangement.  This  unfortunate  and  erroneous 
idea  may  be  dispelled  by  a  careful  analysis  of  this 
screen  plantation.  It  may  show  that  it  is  an 
artistic  problem,  that  the  assemblage  of  trees, 
shrubs,  and  flowers  into  a  good  border  requires  not 
merely  a  horticultural  understanding  of  individual 
plants  but  an  artistic  perception  of  how  they  will 
look  when  united  into  a  border.  This  west  bound- 
ary is  a  composition  of  contrasts.  Big  masses  of 
large  trees  and  tall  shrubbery  curve  boldly  out  into 
the  lawn,  making  strong  promontories  and  leav- 
ing in  between  bays  bordered  by  a  shallow  planting 
of  small  trees  and  low  shrubbery.  There  are  four 

97 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

such  promontories.     The  first,  beside  the  house, 
is  made  of  Hemlocks  and  White  Pines  with   an 
undergrowth  of  native  and  hybrid  Rhododendrons. 
This  is  a  strong  group  of  more  than  fifty  plants. 
The   second   promontory   is   composed   of  Pinus 
sylvestris,   the     Scotch    Pine,     and    a    group    of 
twenty  flowering   Dogwood  trees.     In  spring  the 
wonderful  white   bracts   of  the   Dogwood  flowers 
find  a  foil  in  the  green  of  the  pine,  and  in  the 
autumn  the   evergreens   make  a  background  for 
the   Dogwoods'   striking   red   foliage    and  bright 
fruit.     The  third  promontory  is  a  slight  one  but 
marked    by   three   Abies   concolor.    These   Abies 
concolor    or    White    Firs,    which    like    the    Blue 
Spruce  have  been  very  greatly  misused  as  lawn 
decorations — lawn  disfigurements — have  gained  a 
charming  place   for  themselves   here.     Plants  of 
such    unusual    color   enliven    the    border.     They 
must  be  used  only  where  they  will  not  spoil  the 
color  effect  of  other  plants.   They  must  be  used  only 
in  an  extensive  border,  and  even  then  only  very 
sparingly.    The  fourth  promontory  is  the  strong- 
est part  of  the  boundary.     It  marks  the  end  of 
the  South  lawn  and  furnishes  a  background    for 
the   rustic    shelter.    The    columnar   Cedars    and 
Arbor  Vitaes   in   the    foreground   make   striking 

98 


PROBLEM  X.     No.  2. 


THE  SERVICE  DRIVE 


ALONG  s.  DEFOREST 

contrasts  with  the  sturdy  bushy  White  Pines  in 
back  of  them.  A  feathery  Larch  is  planted  in  this 
group,  a  few  Juniperus  glauca  with  grayish  foliage 
are  placed  with  the  Arbor  Vitaes,  and  spring  flower- 
ing Spiraeas,  S.  van  houttei,  S.  reevsii,  and  S. 
rotundifolia,  make  interesting  contrasts  of  white 
flowers  against  the  Cedars. 

Between  these  promontories  are  shrubberies  with 
a  background  of  flowering  trees.  The  various  Mag- 
nolias, the  native  Thorns,  Dogwoods,  and  Fringe 
Trees  give  a  succession  of  spring  bloom.  The  cup- 
shaped  Magnolia  flowers,  the  abundant  clusters 
of  small  Hawthorn  blossoms,  the  large  bracts  of 
the  Dogwood,  and  the  great  white  panicles  of  the 
Fringe  Tree  each  have  a  striking  and  distinctive 
character.  The  shrubberies  of  the  bays  start 
with  Lonicera  fragrantissima,  the  Fragrant  Bush 
Honeysuckle,  with  very  early  April  blossoms.  Next 
to  them  is  a  bold  mass  of  Peonies.  These  and  the 
hybrid  Rhododendrons  blooming  at  the  same  time 
make  a  wonderfully  rich  display  in  June.  Near  the 
Dogwoods  the  flat  branched  Viburnum  tomentosum, 
the  single  Japanese  Snowball,  and  the  cut-leaved 
Sumac,  Rhus  glabra  lacinata,  make  an  effective 
contrast.  Farther  on  Barberries  have  a  value 
near  Pinus  mugho  and  dwarf  Arbor  Vitae. 

99 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Plants  with  delicate  leafage  like  the  cut-leaved 
Sumac,  or  of  striking  structure  like  the  Viburnum 
tomentosum,  plants  with  unusual  shapes  like  the 
round-headed  Pinus  mugho  (which  is  wonderfully 
effective  when  it  grows  old  and  loose  branched) 
or  distinctive  character  like  the  Cedars,  have  a 
value  in  varying  the  appearance  of  the  boundary 
and  in  that  way  prolonging  the  interest  in  the 
border.  The  character  of  individual  plants  must 
not  be  overemphasized  at  the  expense  of  spoiling 
the  continuity  of  the  plantation.  Therefore,  the 
matter  of  choosing  the  proper  proportion  of  each 
kind  of  plant  is  one  of  delicacy. 

There  is,  too,  a  succession  of  interesting  seasonal 
effects.  The  border  changes  in  appearance  almost 
every  week  in  a  kind  of  magical  sequence  as  flowers 
appear  one  after  another,  as  foliage  develops  and 
turns  to  bright  colors  and  berries  mature.  And 
even  in  the  winter  every  shrub  and  tree  exhibits  a 
distinctive  character  displayed  in  structure,  color 
of  branches  and  fruit.  Besides,  the  blending  of 
this  deciduous  material  with  evergreens  gives 
charming  effects  to  the  winter  lawn. 

The  Narcissus  lawn  has  a  character  quite  dis- 
tinct from  the  South  lawn.  The  differentiation 

100 


ALLING  s.  DEFORESTT  J 

is  obtained  through  the  use  of  other  plant  material 
arranged  with  a  different  idea  in  mind.  The 
shrubbery  between  the  path  and  the  lawn  is 
composed  of  all  kinds  of  shrubs  that  are  rich  in 
flowering  effects.  On  the  other  side  of  the  path, 
in  the  boundary  plantation,  shrubs  with  interest- 
ing fruit  and  winter  color  predominate.  The 
border  starts  with  Aralia  spinosa.  Its  host  of 
black  berries  follow  immediately  after  great  pani- 
cles of  white  flowers.  Next  is  a  great  mass  of 
Privet  with  black  winter  berries  and  Eleagnus 
augustifolia  with  silvery  fruit.  Then  come  Vibur- 
num tomentosum,  Viburnum  lentago,  and  Viburnum 
opulus  with  striking  large  white  flower  clusters  and 
wonderful  autumn  foliage  and  red  fruit.  The 
Bush  Honeysuckles,  which  are  interplanted  with 
them,  produce  delicate  translucent  berries,  some 
yellow,  some  orange,  some  red,  which  mature 
early  in  July.  Next  are  groups  of  Indian  Cur- 
rants and  Snowberries.  They  are  small  graceful 
shrubs  but  inconspicuous  until  the  fall  brings 
forth  their  interesting  berries,  one  coral  red  in 
heavy  clusters  on  drooping  branches,  the  other 
round  and  white  on  long  pendants.  Next  comes 
Rhamnus  or  Buckthorn,  a  garden  favorite  of  a 
hundred  years  ago  with  shining  black  fruit,  then  the 

101 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Common  Barberry  with  scarlet  berries,  then  Ilex 
verticillata  or  Winterberry .  This  is  a  very  modest, 
retiring  plant  until  winter  arrives  and  then  its 
small  berries  clinging  close  to  the  stem  are  the 
most  brilliant  of  all  the  winter  fruits.  On  the 
east  boundary  are  Yellowroot  with  interesting 
autumn  foliage,  the  black-berried  Elders,  a  July 
fruiting  shrub,  and  Cornus  stolonifera  with  con- 
spicuous red  stems  during  the  winter  time.  This 
collection  of  berry-bearing  shrubs  produces  color 
effects  which  make  a  wonderful  winter  garden 
quite  independent  of  evergreens. 

The  Wild  garden  has  an  individual  character 
of  its  own.  The  bowlder-edged  pond  has  given 
an  incentive  to  use  water-loving  plants,  plants  of 
a  rock  garden  character,  and  such  as  will  make 
good  pictures  when  reflected  in  the  water.  In 
the  pond  Water  Lilies  are  growing.  Immediately 
on  the  edge  are  Azaleas  in  vivid  scarlet,  yellow,  and 
orange  tints.  There  are  also  groups  of  Japanese 
Iris,  Yellow  Day  Lilies,  and  ornamental  grasses. 
All  these  have  interesting  sheathlike  foliage  appro- 
priate at  the  water's  edge.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  stepping-stone  path  which  bounds  this  planting, 
Cedars  are  planted  in  a  mass  just  as  they  grow 

102 


PROBLEM  X.     No.  4. 


THE  PATH  BETWEEN  THE  LAWN  AND  THE  WILD  GARDEN. 


PROBLEM  X.     No.  5. 


THE  WILD  GARDEN 


ALLING  s.  DEFOREST 

naturally  on  hillsides.  The  ground  between  them 
is  covered  with  all  kinds  of  rock  plants,  white 
Rock  Cress,  dark  violet  Aubretia,  snowy  Candy- 
tuft, white  Cerastium  tomentosum,  and  blue  Phlox 
divaricata.  They  flower  throughout  the  spring 
and  afterwards  their  varied  foliage,  the  gray 
tufts  of  Arabis,  the  silvery  tone  of  Cerastium,  the 
dark  leaves  of  Candytuft,  the  gray  of  Aubretia,  are 
as  interesting  as  the  flowers.  A  few  Yuccas  are 
interspersed  with  the  Cedars  for  midsummer  ef- 
fect. In  back  of  them,  Roses  are  planted.  There 
are  lovely  Rosa  spinossissima,  Rosa  multiftora, 
and  Rosa  setigera  with  long  arching  branches,  and 
Rosa  wichuriana  which  covers  the  ground  with 
long  streamers.  In  early  summer  the  wealth  of 
single  pink  and  white  flowers  is  offset  by  the  dark 
green  of  Cedars;  in  winter  they  are  again  a  deco- 
rative feature  when  the  rose  hips  are  contrasted 
against  the  evergreens. 

The  charm  of  this  place  depends  upon  the  dis- 
tinct individuality  of  each  subdivision,  upon  its 
interesting  diversity  of  shape,  character,  and  plant 
material,  and  upon  the  unifying  informality  of  the 
design. 


103 


PROBLEM  XI 


105 


PROBLEM   XI 

A  NATURALISTIC  GARDEN — A  STUDY  IN  FLOWER  COLOR,  BY 

MARIAN  C.  COFFIN,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

This  property  is  located  at  Flushing,  N.  Y.     Its  dimensions 
are  150  x  300  feet 

IN  this  small  place  the  interest  is  so  concentrated 
upon  the  flowers  that  it  seems  like  one  big 
flower  garden.  From  the  back  porch  we  can  look 
down  the  Peony  path  to  the  wide  stretched  Iris 
borders  and  across  them  to  the  herbaceous  borders 
that  encircle  the  big  lawn. 

On  either  side  of  the  so-called  Peony  path  is  a 
flower  border,  five  or  six  feet  wide.  First  a  delicate 
line  of  Tulips  is  showing  on  the  outer  edge  near 
the  grass.  These  are  Picotees,  of  the  cottage 
type,  white  with  a  margin  of  rose  pink.  Next 
a  double  row  of  pink  Peonies  makes  a  bril- 
liant showing.  Then  Pinks  are  spreading  their 
grayish  foliage  and  pink  flowers  over  the  gravel 

107 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

path.  Then  a  row  of  Madonna  Lilies  gives  the 
border  its  interest,  and  last,  bronze  Chrysanthe- 
mums with  an  edging  of  French  Marigolds  of  the 
same  peculiar  shade  make  a  finale  in  autumn 
tones.  Each  variety  is  planted  throughout  the 
length  of  the  borders,  but  there  is  no  set  regu- 
larity, there  are  no  hard  straight  lines  that  would 
give  this  planting  an  unpardonable  stiffness. 
While  they  vary  in  color  and  flower  habit,  the 
uniformity  of  each  effect  gives  the  borders  a 
simplicity  appropriate  for  such  a  path,  which  acts 
as  an  introductory  passage  to  the  garden. 

The  Peony  path  meets  at  right  angles  the  main 
garden  path  which  runs  across  the  entire  width 
of  the  property,  about  150  feet.  Here  the  borders 
are  very  wide,  ranging  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet. 
Wide  borders  have  a  way  of  expressing  the 
garden's  luxuriance.  On  one  side  of  this  long 
cross  path  are  the  big  Iris  beds,  on  the  other 
side  are  the  mixed  herbaceous  borders.  Despite 
the  lack  of  uniformity  of  these  two  borders,  there 
exists  an  underlying  balance  which  is  almost  inde- 
finable. Perhaps  the  reason  for  this  fine  adjust- 
ment is  the  consciousness  that  the  first  and  principal 
view  of  the  borders  is  from  the  back  porch. 

1 08 


PROBLEM  XI. 


THE  PLAN. 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  i. 


THE  PEONY  WALK. 


MARIAN  C.  COFFIN 

The  display  of  Irises  lasts  fully  six  weeks.  First, 
there  is  a  big  show  of  Florentine  Iris  that  makes 
a  solid  mass  four  feet  wide.  The  Florentine  Iris 
begin  to  bloom  while  the  Darwin  Tulips  are  still 
out.  There  are  maroon  Tulips,  and  black  ones 
and  cherry  red  ones,  all  mixed  together  to  form 
an  edge  for  the  pearly  Iris  near  the  grass.  On 
the  path  side  Poet's  Narcissus  are  planted  for  a 
very  early  spring  effect.  German  Iris  make  the 
second  big  show  in  this  border.  There  are  the 
lilac  blue  Iris  pallida  dalmatica,  the  delicate 
creamy  Iris  flavescens,  the  golden  Iris  aurea^  and 
Iris  Dr.  Bernice  with  yellow  standards  and  deep 
bronze  falls.  These  are  planted  in  back  of  the 
Florentines,  thirty  or  forty  of  each  kind  massed 
together.  Just  as  the  German  Iris  are  fading, 
the  Spanish  Irises  in  yellow  and  smoky  coloring 
are  beginning  to  bloom,  and  at  about  the  same 
time  the  English  Irises  in  white  and  lilac  blue 
shades.  These  make  a  delicate  intermezzo  before  the 
third  show  of  Japanese  Irises.  The  Iris  are  massed 
so  thickly  that  there  is  no  room  for  other  peren- 
nials except  for  a  narrow  row  of  edging  plants. 

At  first  Tree  Peonies  and  standard  Lilacs 
emphasized  the  intersection  of  the  paths  but  now 

109 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

in  addition  to  these  a  very  simple  rustic  arbor  has 
been  built.  It  is  heavily  laden  with  climbing 
Roses,  Gardenia,  and  Gold  Finch,  in  yellow  and 
coppery  tones  that  repeat  the  color  of  the  Hybrid 
Teas,  Harry  Kirk,  and  Madam  Ravary,  that  are 
planted  in  three  rows  on  either  side  of  the  arbor. 
Pansies  that  overrun  these  borders  in  the  spring 
form  a  kind  of  irregular  carpet  bedding  for  the 
Roses.  These  Rose  beds  are  incorporated  in  the 
big  herbaceous  borders,  a  daring  attempt  by  any 
but  a  master  hand. 

These  wide  herbaceous  borders  are  part  and 
parcel  of  the  enclosure  of  the  main  lawn  which 
with  their  tree  and  shrubbery  background  com- 
prise the  garden  proper.  Here  a  charming  color 
sequence  is  developed.  The  border  at  the  back  of 
the  property,  farthest  from  the  house,  is  known 
as  the  red  border,  next  to  it  is  the  purple  and 
yellow  border.  A  strong  mass  of  Forsythia  divides 
it  from  the  blue  border.  The  blue  border  ends 
where  the  Roses  begin.  On  the  other  side  of  the 
Roses  the  pink  border  begins  and  that  merges  into 
white. 

The  method  of  producing  this  color  sequence 
must  not  be  misunderstood.  There  is  no  hard 

no 


w 

B 

Q    « 


en    u 
^    H 


MARIAN  C.  COFFIN 

and  fast  color  subdivision.  In  the  so-called  red 
border,  there  are  not  only  red  and  scarlet  flowers 
but  those  of  orange  and  bronze  shades.  In  the 
pink  border,  too,  there  are  not  only  pink  flowers 
but  rose  and  maroon  ones  and  even  a  few  white 
ones.  The  red  border  is  divided  from  the  purple 
and  yellow  one  by  a  strip  of  grass  and  so  is  the 
blue  border  divided  from  the  pink  one,  but  not 
into  hard  and  distinct  sections,  for  in  looking 
over  the  whole  garden  area,  one  color  seems  to 
melt  into  the  next  color  until  they  are  blended 
and  wrought  into  a  rhythmic  composition.  It 
reminds  one  of  a  symphony  in  which  each  theme 
is  introduced  separately  and  then  developed  into 
complex  harmonies.  That  is  the  trouble  of  trying 
to  describe  each  border  separately,  we  lose  the 
effects  of  the  other  borders  in  so  doing  and  we  are 
apt  to  forget  what  an  important  part  the  trees  and 
shrubs  play.  They  act  as  a  back  drop  to  the  scene, 
or  to  adhere  to  the  comparison  to  the  symphony, 
they  are  the  strong  accompaniment  to  the  themes. 
Take  the  red  border.  Its  interest  begins 
with  early  Tulips.  With  them  are  planted  a 
few  Crown  Imperials,  those  curious  favorites 
of  old  cottage  gardens.  At  about  the  same 
time  a  few  starry  white  Magnolias,  Magnolia 

in 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

stellata,  are  in  full  bloom.  Then  come  the  later 
Tulips,  the  glowing  red  Tulip  gesneriana  spathulata 
major,  the  strong  orange  scarlet  Tulip  "La  Mer- 
veille,"  and  the  showy  Tulip  "Pride  of  Haarlem." 
Then  the  red  and  yellow  Azaleas  bloom  in  a 
splendid  mass  in  front  of  Hemlocks,  then  a  group 
of  Oriental  Poppies  make  a  brave  showing  and 
later  in  the  fall  red  and  bronze  Dahlias  and  deep 
red  Zinnias  give  a  warm  color  touch  that  heralds 
the  autumn  glow  of  the  Maples  and  Hawthorns  in 
back  of  them. 

The  purple  and  yellow  border  is  an  exquisite 
study  in  flower  arrangement  and  is  especially 
charming  in  early  May.  Yellow  Alyssum  saxatile 
and  Primroses  and  the  lovely  Phlox  lilacina  form 
the  groundwork  from  which  spring  the  Darwin 
and  Cottage  Tulips  in  similar  shadings,  the  bright 
golden  yellow  Tulip  "Mrs.  Moon,"  the  exquisite 
heliotrope  Tulip  "Dream,"  Tulip  "Fairy  Queen" 
in  which  heliotrope  and  yellow  fawn  color  are 
blended,  and  the  wonderful  purple  Tulip  "Jubilee." 
The  charm  of  this  border  does  not  depend  wholly 
on  the  color  harmony,  wonderful  as  it  is,  not  wholly 
upon  the  combination  of  ground  cover  and  Tulips, 
but  upon  the  composition  of  the  whole.  The 
edging  plants  grow  in  luxuriant  intermingled  mats 

112 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  5. 


THE  MAIN  LAWN. 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  6. 


THE  PURPLE  AND  YELLOW  BORDER. 


MARIAN  C.  COFFIN 

and  the  Tulips  in  big  masses,  a  hundred  or  more 
of  each  kind  planted  in  long  irregular  drifts  magi- 
cally blended.  The  composition  is  perhaps  at  its 
very  best  at  the  time  when  the  tall  long  stemmed 
yellow  Doronicums  are  also  out  and  the  lilac  blue 
Camassias  are  beginning  to  bloom,  for  the  Doroni- 
cums are  scattered  lightly  between  the  Tulips,  and 
a  group  of  Camassias  at  the  back  provides  a  dis- 
tinct accent  point.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that 
in  the  fall  the  mood  of  the  border  has  changed,  for 
then  dwarf  and  tall  Heleniums  make  it  a  bright 
and  bold  corner. 

When  the  Forsythias,  that  separate  this  border 
from  the  blue  border,  are  blooming  their  yellow 
flowers  bend  down  to  meet  deep  yellow  Daffodils 
and  fine  white  Arabis  alpina  which  are  growing 
near  by  on  the  edge  of  the  border.  When  flowering 
shrubs  complement  the  flower  color,  combinations 
of  rare  interest  arise  and  more  charming  oppor- 
tunities in  the  use  of  shrubbery  will  open  up  when 
once  we  appreciate  more  fully  their  value  and 
interest. 

Soon  after  the  Forsythia  has  leafed  out,  delicate 
tinted  tulips  are  scattered  through  the  blue  border 
and  in  one  corner  there  is  a  lovely  blue  mass  of 
Polemonium  reptans.  Later  Linum  perenne,  blue 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Lupines,  Anchusas,  and  Delphiniums  carry  along 
the  blue  effect  while  Gypsophila,  Anthemis  kel- 
wayiy  Lilium  svorzianum,  and  yellow  Thalictrums 
give  touches  of  white,  cream,  yellow,  and  orange. 
Here,  the  plants  are  arranged  in  large  irregularly 
interplanted  clumps  so  that  they  blend  the  flower 
masses  together.  Such  treatment  seems  to  hide 
the  plants  out  of  bloom  as  they  form  drifts  of 
foliage  to  offset  the  plants  in  bloom.  By  such 
methods  the  border  seems  always  in  full  bloom 
for  there  are  enough  plants  of  each  variety  to  give 
distinct  effects. 

In  the  pink  border  pink  Lupines,  pink  Oriental 
Poppies,  pink  Sweet  William,  Canterbury  Bells, 
and  Hollyhocks  follow  one  another  in  the  spring 
and  early  summer,  later  on  there  are  pink  Phloxes 
and  then  Japanese  Anemones  give  a  delicate 
fall  effect,  but  perhaps  the  finest  time  to  see  the 
pink  border  is  at  Tulip  time.  Then  pink  and 
white  Phlox  subulata  is  making  a  bright  edging 
along  the  lawn  and  in  back  of  it  are  the  Tulips. 
There  are  the  brilliant  rose  Tulip  "Clara  Butt," 
the  soft  rose  Tulip  "Loveliness,"  the  exquisite 
dove-colored  Tulip  "The  Fawn,"  and  a  few  of 
the  curious  Tulip  viridiflora,  called  the  "Green 
Tulip."  These  are  planted  in  broad  masses 

114 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  7. 


THE  PURPLE  AND  YELLOW  BORDER  WHEN  TULIPS,  DORONICUMS, 
CAMASSIAS,  AND  GROUND  COVERS  ARE  ALL  IN  BLOOM. 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  8. 


THE  PINK  BORDER  WHEN  THE  CRABAPPLES 
AND  THE  TULIPS  ARE  IN  BLOOM. 


MARIAN  C.  COFFIN 

where  the  border  is  wide  and  then  they  dwindle 
into  a  thin  ribbon  where  the  border  becomes  nar- 
row. It  seems,  though,  that  this  double  effect  of 
Tulips  and  ground  Phlox  is  not  enough,  so  a  third 
element  is  added.  The  Tulips  "Clara  Butt"  are 
planted  in  front  of  the  Crabapple,  Pyrus  flori- 
bunda,  whose  pendant  branches  droop  to  the 
ground  heavily  laden  with  rose  flowers.  It  is  one 
of  the  loveliest  tree  and  flower  harmonies.  There 
are  many  opportunities  for  such  arrangements, 
especially  in  the  spring  with  all  the  abundance  of 
Almonds  and  Cherries,  Crab  apples  and  Dogwoods, 
Amelanchiers  and  Hawthorns.  This  is  a  field  of 
artistic  opportunity  which  we  are  just  beginning 
to  grasp.  Farther  down  the  border  when  the  white 
flowering  shrubs  begin,  there  is  another  charming 
combination  when  creamy  yellow  Iris  pumila  is 
massed  in  front  of  a  bush  of  Spiraa  thunbergii 
bent  with  delicate  white  sprays. 

This  white  flowering  shrubbery  helps  to  make 
the  wood  path  which  has  its  own  little  joys  in  shade- 
loving  flowers.  It  is  particularly  lovely  when  the 
Foxgloves  are  out. 

As  the  house  is  closed  during  midsummer  and 
early  fall,  the  garden  contents  itself  with  a  few 

115 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

late  autumn  effects  and  a  slight  winter  interest, 
so  that  all  the  attention  can  be  centered  upon  the 
spring  and  early  summer  bloom.  In  the  main 
garden  the  late  Tulips  make  the  first  big  showing, 
and  a  marvelous  one  it  is  with  the  complementary 
flowers  of  trees  and  shrubs  and  perennials,  but  the 
early  spring  is  not  forgotten.  It  is  well  taken  care 
of  in  a  place  all  its  own,  in  the  woodsy  bulb  bor- 
der on  the  side  of  the  house.  There,  Snowdrops 
and  Winter  Aconite,  Iris  histrioides,  Chionodoxa, 
Grape-Hyacinth,  Scillas,  and  the  lovely  lavender 
Anemone  blanda  are  used  in  goodly  masses,  each 
group  running  into  and  mingling  with  the  next. 
The  first  real  height  of  bloom  comes,  however,  with 
the  crocuses  when  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of  them 
are  planted  not  in  solid  stiff  masses  but  in  broad 
drifts  that  meander  in  graceful  long  easy  curves 
through  the  border.  A  little  later  come  the  single 
star  Daffodils  planted  in  bolder  streamerlike  drifts. 
Later  still,  about  the  middle  of  May,  the  Mertensia 
virginica,  the  Virginia  Cowslip,  makes  up  the  bor- 
der's interest.  This  charming  native  has  spires  of 
nodding  bell-like  flowers  that  are  delicate  lilac  blue 
that  fades  to  soft  pink. 

Can  we   analyze  this  garden's  charm?     The 

116 


PROBLEM  XI.     No.  9. 


THE  WHITE  BORDER. 


PROBLEM  XT.     No.  10. 


THE  SHADY  PATH. 


MARIAN  C.  COFFIN 

simplicity  of  the  well  ordered  design,  the  nice 
sweeping  curves  of  the  lawns,  the  carefully  studied 
background,  the  wide  borders  and  the  use  of 
flowers  in  luxuriant  naturalistic  masses,  all  help 
toward  its  effectiveness.  But  necessary  as  these 
elements  are,  they  are  only  the  foundations. 
What  is  the  elusive  quality  that  makes  a  flower 
garden,  like  a  symphony,  a  masterpiece?  Can  we 
define  or  describe  the  underlying  meaning?  A 
garden,  if  it  is  to  be  considered  as  a  product  of 
artistic  value,  must  be  a  manifestation  of  distinc- 
tive individuality,  an  expression  of  personality. 


117 


PROBLEM  XII 


119 


PROBLEM  XII 

THE    TERRACED    GARDEN  OF    A    COUNTRY    PLACE,    BY 

ELIZABETH  BOOTES  CLARK,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

PHILADELPHIA,  PA. 

This  property  is  located  at  Devon,  Pa.     The  dimensions  of 
the  garden  are  36  x  80  feet 

ROOKMEAD  "  is  an  old  country  place.  Its 
chief  interest  is  centered  upon  the  dairy 
farm.  The  whitewashed  farm  buildings  stand 
close  to  the  house,  just  on  the  other  side  of  the 
drive,  and  the  fine  Guernsey  cows  find  pasture  on 
the  broad  sloping  meadows  that  quite  naturally 
usurp  the  greater  part  of  the  grounds  and  give  the 
place  its  lovely  rural  character. 

The  house  is  low  and  old-fashioned.  It  is  built 
of  the  gray  stone  that  has  given  the  country  around 
Philadelphia  its  peculiar  charm.  The  old  drive- 
way runs  along  the  west  of  the  house  between 
groups  of  tall  trees.  A  sloping  piece  of  ground  in 
front  of  the  house  is  reserved  as  a  kept  lawn  which 

121 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

is  separated  from  the  meadows  by  a  white  fence. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  house,  the  ground  sloped 
off  abruptly  in  an  irregular  double  tilt  that  gave 
the  house  an  unfortunate  and  unstable  look.  Part 
way  down  the  slope  a  low  retaining  wall  buttressed 
the  ground.  Such  an  awkward  slope  would  not 
have  appealed  to  the  uninitiated  as  a  good  garden 
site  but  to  one  interested  in  the  nice  readjustments 
of  grades  such  tilted  contours  are  full  of  possibili- 
ties. It  was  on  or  rather  into  this  bank  that 
the  garden  was  built  in  the  fall  of  1914. 

The  garden  consists  of  two  parts,  a  grass  terrace 
and  below  it  a  series  of  small  flower-lined  com- 
partments. The  old  retaining  wall  forms  one 
boundary  of  the  grass  terrace.  To  conform  with 
the  grade  it  decreases  gradually  toward  the  south 
end  and  the  terrace  has  a  gentle  downward  slope 
in  the  same  direction.  To  establish  its  grade  it 
was  necessary  to  cut  away  several  feet  of  the  slope. 
To  conform  with  this  new  condition,  the  wall  was 
underpinned,  two  feet  at  some  places,  eight  feet  at 
others.  The  old  wall,  built  many  years  ago  of  rough 
stone  with  mortar  of  a  brownish  tone,  is  so  fine  a 
piece  of  work  that  matching  up  the  stone,  copy- 
ing the  laying  of  the  courses,  and  imitating  the 

122 


PROBLEM  XII. 


THE  PLAN. 


ELIZABETH  BOOTES  CLARK 

color  of  the  mortar  in  building  the  new  under- 
structure  demanded  a  certain  nicety  of  feeling. 
The  old  quarry  that  furnished  the  stone  for  the 
house  and  for  the  old  wall  was  unearthed  on  the 
place  and  it  yielded  the  stone  for  all  the  new  gar- 
den construction.  The  old  spring  house  and  out- 
door oven,  that  stand  beside  the  garden,  are  other 
examples  of  this  fine  old  stone  work  that  gives  so 
much  character  to  the  place. 

The  retaining  wall  has  given  an  interesting 
opportunity  for  wall  planting.  Sometimes  it  is 
pleasing  to  cover  the  entire  wall  with  a  hanging 
carpet  of  varied  color,  but  here  the  plants  are  used 
only  in  a  moderate  way  to  soften  the  bareness  of 
the  stone  without  hiding  the  wall.  The  wall  is  so 
long,  however, — about  eighty  feet, — that  many 
different  kinds  of  plants  are  used  in  small  groups. 
The  flowers  are  there,  not  to  demand  undivided 
attention,  but  are  to  solicit  momentary  interest. 
They  are  used,  not  as  a  dominant  feature,  but  as  a 
decorative  touch  of  color. 

Cedars,  Juniperus  virginiana  glauca,  border  the 
other  long  side  of  the  terrace.  When  they  spread 
into  a  continuous  boundary,  the  terrace  will  at- 
tain all  the  cool  and  shadow  flickered  charm  of  a 
bowling  green. 

123 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

In  contrast  to  the  quiet  green  of  the  terrace,  the 
garden  is  a  study  in  full  color.  It  is  set  parallel 
to  the  terrace  at  a  slightly  lower  level  and  consists 
of  three  subdivisions.  The  central  portion  acts  as 
a  thoroughfare.  It  is  centered  on  the  middle  of 
the  terrace.  It  is  in  line  with  the  curving  steps 
that  run  up  to  the  porch.  It  is  in  line  with  the 
gate  that  opens  into  the  pasture.  It  is  simply  a 
grass  space  enclosed  by  Arbor  Vitae  hedges.  A 
small  blue  green  bowl  stands  in  the  grass  for  a 
bird  bath.  Two  chairs  stand  by  the  side  of  the 
steps  to  the  terrace.  These  chairs  remind  one  of 
the  colonial  Windsors  but  they  are  English.  They 
are  designed  especially  for  English  weather  for 
after  a  shower  the  chair  can  be  turned  upside  down 
and  be  right  side  up  to  provide  a  clean  dry  seat. 

On  the  sides  of  this  green  space  are  the  two  flower 
compartments.  The  upper  garden  is  two  steps 
above,  the  lower  garden  is  two  steps  below  it. 
In  this  way  has  the  difference  in  grade,  uniform 
with  the  terrace  slope,  been  pleasingly  dealt  with. 
The  upper  garden  is  mottled  with  shadow,  the 
lower  garden  is  in  full  sunlight.  The  upper  garden 
has  a  background  of  tall  trees  that  group  them- 
selves around  the  spring  house,  the  lower  garden 
faces  the  sunny  meadows  and  high  up  on  a  tall 

124 


PROBLEM  XII.     No.  2. 


THE  ENTRANCE  FROM  THE  MEADOW. 
PROBLEM  XII.     No.  3. 


THE  TERRACE. 


ELIZABETH  BOOTES  CLARK 

white  pole  a  bird  house  stands  outlined  against  the 
sky.  In  the  upper  garden  the  flowers  are  of  pastel 
shades,  in  the  lower  garden  the  flowers  are  brighter 
in  key,  blues  that  deepen  into  purple  and  the  yellows 
that  tone  to  orange  with  a  touch  of  pure  white. 
In  the  early  spring  the  borders  of  both  gardens 
are  fringed  with  Crocuses  in  mixed  colors  and 
Daffodils  and  early  Tulips.  It  is  not,  however, 
until  the  later  long-stemmed  Tulips  appear  that 
the  gardens  show  their  full  color  values.  Then  in 
the  upper  garden,  many  varieties  are  woven  into  a 
delicate  color  rhythm.  There  are  pure  white  Tu- 
lips, "White  Queen,"  and  pink  striped  "Picotee," 
silvery  rose  "Gretchen"  and  lilac  rose  "Mme. 
Krelage."  There  are  bright  pink  Tulips,  "Clara 
Butt,"  and  salmon  ones,  "Inglescombe  Pink." 
There  are  golden  Tulips,  "Bouton  d'Or,"  helio- 
trope, "Dream,"  and  "The  Fawn"  which  is  dove 
colored.  In  the  lower  garden  the  bright  shades 
of  Tulip  gesneriana  lutea  and  of  "Inglescombe 
Yellow"  offset  the  quieter  tones  of  "Dream,"  of 
the  slaty  blue  "La  Tristesse,"  of  the  dark  plum 
colored  "Philippe  de  Commines,"  and  of  the  red 
purple  "Mrs.  Potter  Palmer."  While  the  Tulips 
are  blooming  the  Columbines,  scattered  through 
both  gardens  in  mixed  colors,  are  beginning  to 

125 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

flower.  A  little  later  salmon  pink  Oriental  Poppies, 
"Mrs.  Perry/'  are  flowering  in  the  upper  garden 
and  their  bloom  is  followed  by  Canterbury  Bells. 
At  almost  the  same  time  Spanish  Iris  are  blooming 
in  the  lower  garden.  On  one  side  they  are  blue  and 
white,  on  the  other  side  they  are  white  and  yellow. 

When  considered  as  a  mass,  the  flowers  have,  so 
far,  given  a  flat  effect,  but  as  summer  approaches 
perpendicular  lines  begin  to  predominate.  In  the 
upper  garden  there  are  masses  of  pink  Foxgloves 
and  lovely  blue  Anchusas  with  smaller  groups  of 
the  delicate  pink  Lilium  krameri.  In  the  lower 
garden  the  Larkspurs  emphasize  the  perpendicular 
lines.  In  bloom  with  them  are  the  white  Madonna 
Lilies,  the  orange  Lilies,  Lilium  croceum,  and  yellow 
Thermopsis.  The  familiar  combination  of  Lilium 
candidum  with  Delphinium  is  strong  and  pure,  the 
union  of  Larkspurs  and  orange  Lilies  gives  a  warm 
and  rich  color  harmony. 

Then  there  is  a  slight  lull  until  the  Phloxes  begin 
to  bloom.  Lilac  rose  Phlox  "Mme.  Dutrie"  and 
soft  violet  Phlox  "  Wanadis"  make  a  delicate  union 
for  the  pastel  garden.  Only  pure  white  Phlox 
"Mrs.  Jenkins "  and  "Jeanne  D'Arc"  are  used  in 
the  other  garden.  Aconitum  and  orange  Lilium 
superbum  carry  out  the  color  harmony  of  the  lower 

126 


PROBLEM  XII.     No.  5. 


THE  BLUE  AND  YELLOW  GARDEN. 


PROBLEM  XII.     No.  6. 


THE  PASTEL  GARDEN. 


ELIZABETH  BOOTES  CLARK 

garden  for  a  time,  but  when  the  blue  is  lost  in  late 
autumn,  yellow  and  bronze  Chrysanthemums  are 
left  to  carry  along  the  bright  part  of  the  color 
scheme.  The  upper  garden  adheres  to  pastel 
shades  during  the  early  fall  with  pink  and  white 
Japanese  Anemones,  pink  and  cream  Gladiolus 
gandavensis,  and  steel  blue  Sea  Holly. 

It  is  essential  to  describe  the  gardens  together, 
for,  despite  the  fact  that  each  garden  makes  a 
distinct  color  impression,  the  two  color  schemes  are 
in  harmony  for  the  two  gardens  are  complimen- 
tary parts  of  one  closely  knit  design.  Their 
unity  is  further  emphasized  by  their  strong  struc- 
tural similarity.  They  are  alike  in  shape  and 
size.  Each  has  a  tiny  grass  center  edged  in  quaint 
oval  outlines  with  dwarf  Box.  Each  has  its  own 
entrance  from  the  terrace  above.  Each  has  a 
little  nook  with  a  seat  in  it.  These  seats  are  long 
low  benches.  They  were  found  in  an  antique  shop. 
They  are  made  of  Irish  bog  oak  that  was  petrified 
through  the  action  of  water.  They  have  no  need 
of  paint  so  their  natural  soft  brownish  tone  can 
always  be  preserved. 

The  terrace  and  the  garden  seem  perfectly  at 
home  tucked  in  there  under  the  wall.  They  are 

127 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

sunk  so  far  below  the  house  that  even  when  the 
hedges  grow  to  full  height  the  view  from  the  house 
across  the  meadows  will  be  free  and  the  garden 
detail  will  not  disturb  the  open  feeling  of  the 
meadows.  They  are  easily  reached  from  the  dining 
room  and  porch  by  two  flights  of  steps,  and  so  are 
closely  united  to  the  house.  Full  of  sunlight  and 
color,  full  of  shadow  and  restful  green,  the  garden 
and  terrace  are  quiet  out-of-door  rooms,  a  charm- 
ing addition  to  the  house  interpreting  in  their  own 
peculiar  manner  the  prevailing  character  of  the 
house.  Such  an  achievement  in  garden  art  is  due 
to  an  intuitive  feeling  of  fitness,  to  a  sense  of 
"perfect  placing"  which  gives  to  that  which  is  the 
object  of  infinite  care  and  anxious  thought  the 
appearance  of  perfect  naturalness. 


128 


PROBLEM  XIII 


129 


PROBLEM   XIII 

A  SMALL  PROPERTY  WITH  Two  GARDENS,  BY  ELIZABETH 

LEONARD  STRANG,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

GROTON,  MASS. 

This  property  is  located  at  Plymouth,  Mass.     Its  dimensions 
are  165  x  150  feet 

IN  the  development  of  the  small  lot  the  attention 
is  best  centered  upon  one  important  feature. 
This  feature  should  be  in  full  sight  of  the  house 
and  have  a  close  relationship  to  it.  It  should 
have  individuality  and  worth  enough  to  perpetuate 
genuine  pleasure  in  it.  It  should  have  elasticity 
enough  to  offer  a  chance  for  the  expression  of 
changing  and  growing  interests.  It  should  have  a 
distinct  originality  which  will  grow  in  the  hands  of 
an  ingenious  designer  directly  out  of  some  charac- 
ter peculiar  to  the  site  itself. 

These  principles  underlie  the  development  of 
this  property.  The  unobtrusive  low  shrubbery, 
still  rather  unconvincing  in  its  newness,  which  is 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

planted  along  the  front  of  the  house,  together 
with  the  quiet  character  of  the  house  itself,  con- 
forms with  the  simple  Plymouth  street  over- 
shadowed by  old  Elms.  The  front  of  the  house 
has  nothing  of  particular  interest.  The  attention 
is  focused  upon  the  garden  in  back. 

In  the  beginning  it  was  only  a  deep  uninviting 
hollow.  Now  it  is  an  oval  flower  garden.  In  May, 
1913,  it  was  an  unsightly  dump,  an  ugly  hole  in 
the  ground.  In  August  of  the  same  year  there 
was  a  carefully  arranged  garden  with  abundant 
bloom  and  color  which  convinces  one  of  the  effi- 
ciency of  a  plan  by  which  the  work  is  carried 
on  skillfully  and  rapidly  without  the  unnecessary 
readjustments  of  haphazard  and  disjointed  ideas. 

Its  oval  shape  and  symmetrical  treatment  fit 
naturally  into  its  sunken  position.  Its  full  ex- 
panse is  seen  in  a  semi-bird's-eye  view  from  the 
house.  The  path  on  the  shorter  axis  of  the  oval, 
centering  on  the  central  doorway  and  terminating 
in  the  generous  seat  under  the  trees,  binds  house 
and  garden  together.  A  path  on  the  longer  axis 
meets  it  in  a  circle  at  the  center,  cutting  the  oval 
into  four  equal  parts.  The  main  lines  of  the  design 
have  a  simplicity  of  which  one  cannot  tire.  They 
have  a  strength  which  holds  together  all  the 

132 


ROBLEM    XIII. 


THE  PLAN. 


ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG 

minor  elements.  For  convenience  in  caring  for 
the  flowers  in  the  very  wide  borders  a  stepping 
stone  path  describes  an  inner  oval.  In  summer 
it  is  almost  lost  in  the  thickness  of  the  foliage 
but  in  spring  it  strikes  a  minor  chord  in  the 
composition. 

The  flowers  are  arranged  to  carry  out  and 
emphasize  the  design.  The  four  parts  of  the  oval 
are  so  planted  that  at  first  glance  they  appear  sym- 
metrically correct.  In  early  spring  this  effect  is 
gained  by  the  careful  distribution  of  early  flowers. 
Daffodils  skirt  the  outer  edge  of  the  oval,  Scillas 
and  Snowdrops,  Primulas  and  Fritillarias  are 
planted  between  the  stepping  stones,  early  pink 
and  rose  Tulips  and  Mertensias  circumscribe  the 
circle,  and  lavender  Darwin  Tulips  describe  a 
wider  circle  around  them.  A  little  later  in  the 
season  the  effect  of  symmetry  is  continued  by 
dividing  equally  between  the  four  parts  masses  of 
Irises  and  Peonies,  Phloxes  and  Japanese  Anem- 
ones, Asters  and  Chrysanthemums.  Planted 
in  strong  masses  they  give  body  to  the  borders. 
The  monotony  of  absolute  conformity  is  avoided, 
however,  by  subtle  gradations  of  color  made 
possible  through  the  abundant  use  of  many 
named  varieties.  Moreover,  no  exact  symmetry 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

is  attempted  in  the  placing  of  the  many  other 
flowers  that  are  used  in  small  quantities  to  lighten 
the  strong  mass  effect. 

A  balanced  arrangement  of  flowers  is  quite 
rigidly  adhered  to  in  the  borders  on  either  side  of 
the  short  path.  Throughout  its  length,  English 
Daisies  and  early  Tulips  make  a  continuous  border 
in  early  spring  to  be  followed  by  Forge t-me-Nots. 
In  back  of  them  is  a  row  of  salmon  pink  Sweet 
William  whose  June  flowers  are  replaced  by  the 
later  bloom  of  Heliotrope  and  pink  Stock.  The 
white  and  pink  Peonies  in  back  of  the  Sweet 
William  in  the  nearer  borders  are  substituted  by 
the  yellowish  blush  Paeony  canari  farther  away. 
A  balanced  effect  is  also  felt  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  flowers  on  either  side  of  the  longer  path. 
Bordered  by  Alyssum  saxatile  and  Arabis,  Adonis 
and  white  Wild  Geranium,  Carpathian  Harebell, 
Statice,  and  Sedum,  the  edge  is  kept  in  almost 
continuous  bloom.  The  varying  greens  and  gray 
greens  of  the  foliage  add  a  special  interest  to 
these  compact  matlike  ground  covers.  In  back 
of  this  edging  of  dwarf  flowers,  Iris  "Queen  of 
May,"  Iris  pallida,  and  Iris  "Purple  King"  range 
from  soft  lilac  pink  through  lilac  to  deep  purple. 
At  the  circle  the  symmetry  is  most  strictly 


ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG 

carried  out.  This  is  done  to  focus  the  attention 
upon  the  central  point  and  so  bind  together  the 
many  motives  of  the  flower  design.  The  planting 
is  arranged  in  a  series  of  inscribed  circles.  In  the 
first  ring  early  Mertensias  make  a  complete  circle 
with  blue  flowers  that  fade  to  pink.  These  are 
replaced  later  on  by  deep  purple  Pansies.  During 
July  this  tier  is  made  effective  by  eight  (Enothera 
missouriensis  placed  at  the  points  where  the 
paths  converge  into  the  circle.  Their  large  bright 
yellow  flowers  make  a  brilliant  showing,  especially 
striking  in  front  of  the  deep  purple  of  Japanese 
Iris.  In  the  second  ring  Iris  "Purple  King" 
continues  the  color  effect  of  the  purple  Pansies. 
In  the  third  ring  are  Peonies  in  deep  pink  and 
rose.  Each  Peony  is  encircled  by  a  dozen  pink 
Tulips  whose  early  flowers  have  disappeared  by 
the  time  the  Peony  has  opened  its  foliage.  In  the 
fourth  ring  are  the  purple  Japanese  Iris.  With 
them  the  circular  treatment  fades  into  the  masses 
of  Phlox  which  help  to  develop  the  oval  outlines 
of  the  garden. 

It  is  obvious  that  in  such  a  garden  the  continuity 
of  bloom  is  most  carefully  developed.  Early  Tulips, 
Daffodils,  Darwin  Tulips  and  Irises,  Peonies  and 
Sweet  Williams,  Foxgloves,  Larkspurs  and  Phloxes, 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

Japanese  Anemones  and  Asters,  and  Chrysanthe- 
mums give  successive  bloom.  Coming  into  flower 
one  after  another  with  varying  lengths  to  their 
periods  of  bloom  they  are  closely  interwoven  and 
used  in  big  masses  they  form  the  major  succes- 
sion of  bloom.  Complementing  them  is  a  minor 
succession.  Bright  yellow  Alyssum,  pure  white 
Arabis,  blue  Mertensia,  pink  Bleeding  Heart,  yel- 
low Trollius  make  a  spring  medley  of  bright 
color.  Columbines  and  yellow  Day  Lilies  accom- 
pany the  bloom  of  German  Irises,  Dictamnus  and 
Campanulas  that  of  the  Peonies.  Purple  Viola 
cornuta,  snow-white  Achillea  "the  Pearl,"  and  filmy 
Gypsophila  accompany  the  flowering  of  the  Lark- 
spurs. Yellow  Anthemis,  pink  Sedum  spectabile, 
blue  Statice,  and  purple  Veronicas  are  in  flower 
while  the  Phloxes  are  blooming.  Pink  Snap- 
dragons supplement  the  delicacy  of  Japanese 
Anemones,  salmon  pink  annual  Phlox  continues 
to  bloom  late  into  Aster  time,  and  Calendulas 
are  still  fresh  when  the  last  Chrysanthemum 
has  faded.  Supplementing  the  major  succession, 
these  scattered  color  notes,  sometimes  strong, 
sometimes  very  delicate,  heighten  the  interest 
in  the  changes  that  come  from  week  to  week. 
Special  attention  has  been  given  to  color  in  this 

136 


ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG 

garden.  Not  a  single  harsh  or  disturbing  color 
note  can  be  found.  Only  the  clearest  of  yellows, 
the  softest  of  pink  and  rose  shades,  the  quietest 
of  lavender,  blue,  and  purple,  and  harmonizing 
whites  are  used  in  this  elusive  pattern  of  color. 
Succession  of  bloom,  color  harmony,  and  arrange- 
ment are  subtly  interwoven.  Thus  analyzed  the 
garden  illustrates  the  difficulties  and  the  pleasures 
of  its  designing.  It  makes  clear  the  reason  for 
many  failures,  the  source  of  its  many  delights. 

It  is  as  easy  to  enumerate  the  flowers  planted 
in  a  garden  as  it  is  hard  to  describe  the  elusive 
effects  that  are  attained.  It  is  as  simple  to 
explain  the  underlying  principles  of  the  garden's 
composition  as  it  is  difficult  to  analyze  its  charm. 
A  flower  garden  is  a  transitory  evanescent  thing. 
Without  constant,  patient,  and  intelligent  care  the 
whole  charm  of  a  garden  like  this  one,  dependent 
on  so  many  interrelated  details,  is  lost  in  a  year's 
time.  This  garden  has  the  frequent  supervision  of 
the  designer.  This  means  not  only  that  she  can 
see  that  it  is  kept  up  to  the  color  scheme  and 
arrangement  as  she  divined  it,  that  she  can  foretell 
and  forewarn  lapses  in  bloom,  winter  failures,  and 
seasonal  mishaps,  but  she  can  arrange  and  com- 
plete, substitute  and  devise  new  color  effects  in 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

minor  details  which  will  give  new  interest  to  the 
garden  without  disturbing  its  old  vigor  and  its 
stable  and  constant  arrangement. 

The  oval  is  Box  bordered  and  then  girt  by  a  ten- 
foot  strip  of  gravel.  Although  we  had  carefully 
studied  the  plan  of  the  entire  layout  beforehand, 
we  had  been  altogether  unconscious  through- 
out the  long  and  minute  inspection  of  the  oval, 
that  the  gravel  strip  was  a  turn-around.  A  turn- 
around is  so  much  a  matter  for  practical  considera- 
tions, a  flower  garden  is  so  much  a  striving  for  an 
ideal,  and  the  two  seem  so  antagonistic  that  they 
are  almost  always  placed  entirely  apart  from  one 
another.  It  is  at  best,  even  for  so  small  a  place 
where  the  drive  turn  is  in  little  use,  a  difficult 
problem  and  a  combination  which  is  to  be  avoided. 
In  this  case,  however,  the  harmonizing  of  these 
two  opposing  factors  strikes  not  only  a  clever  and 
original  note  in  garden  composition  but  shows  a 
serious  understanding  of  garden  art. 

Besides  developing  the  principal  feature  of  a 
place  there  is  often  a  possibility  of  combining 
with  it  a  number  of  other  scenes  of  special  charac- 
ter. By  the  addition  of  the  neighboring  property, 

138 


PROBLEM  XIII.     No.  4. 


AT  THE  ENTRANCE  OF  THE  INFORMAL  GARDEN. 


ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG 

space  for  a  lawn  and  an  informal  garden  was 
acquired.  The  property  was  bought  in  two 
parcels — the  lawn  area  came  into  possession  only 
recently,  the  informal  garden  was  planted  at  the 
time  the  formal  garden  was  laid  out. 

The  lawn  is  bordered  by  a  woodsy  plantation. 
The  Rhododendrons  and  Hemlocks,  opposite  the 
porch,  are  flanked  by  groups  of  Black  Alder  and 
Viburnum  dentatum.  Fragrant  Sumac  and  Maple- 
leaved  Viburnum,  Cornus  paniculata,  Cornelian 
Cherry  and  Red  Twigged  Cornel,  Barberries 
Rosa  multiflora  and  Mountain  Ash,  Viburnum 
Carlesi,  Laurel,  and  Ilex  glabra,  which  is  a  charming 
and  little  known  variety  of  Holly.  They  unite 
to  form  a  planting  with  fine  autumn  and  winter 
effects.  Spring  wood  flowers,  Ferns  and  Asters, 
Azalea  vaseyi  and  Oriental  Poppies,  Lilium  Han- 
soni  and  Snakeroot,  form  interesting  color  inci- 
dents for  the  heavier  shrub  planting. 

The  informal  garden  occupies  a  narrow  irregular 
strip  of  sloping  land  in  back  of  the  lawn.  One  of 
the  long  paths  of  this  garden  is  a  continuation  of 
the  longer  axis  of  the  main  garden.  The  rose  arch 
which  acts  as  entrance  to  it  frames  a  long  vista 
down  the  path.  This  minor  garden  is  subordinated 

139 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

to  the  main  garden  but  it  is  related  to  it.  It  is  as 
informal  as  the  other  is  formal.  It  is  left  to  the 
lax  attention  of  odd  moments  instead  of  to  the 
diligent  care  and  constant  supervision  given  to 
the  main  garden.  It  is  as  unsymmetrical  in  design 
and  planting  as  the  other  is  symmetrical. 

Japanese  Quinces  and  Bush  Roses,  old-fashioned 
Sweet-scented  Shrub  and  Bush  Honeysuckles, 
fragrant  Mock  Oranges  and  Weigelas  are  scattered 
through  the  ample  beds  to  obstruct  the  view  across 
the  garden. 

Many  flowers  grow  rampant  in  the  borders  and 
encroach  upon  the  paths  with  their  spreading 
foliage.  There  are  Hepaticas,  ,Wind  Flowers, 
Bloodroots,  and  other  spring  wild  flowers.  There 
are  Snowdrops  and  Lilies-of-the-Valley,  double 
Buttercups  and  Snow-in-Summer  with  lovely  gray 
foliage.  There  are  spring  bulbs,  Narcissus  and 
Tulips,  Spanish  Iris  and  Fritillaria  meleagris  (the 
speckled  Guinea-hen  Flower).  There  are  summer 
bulbs,  Madonna  Lilies,  Gold-banded  Lilies,  nodding 
Japanese  Lilies,  and  brilliant  Tiger  Lilies.  There 
are  many-colored  Gladioli. 

A  few  Oriental  Poppies  blaze  forth  their  scarlet 
all  alone  amid  dark  green  foliage;  Lychnis  and 
Monarda,  Heuchera  (the  Coral  Bell)  and  Lobelia 

140 


ELIZABETH  LEONARD  STRANG 

(the  Cardinal  Flower),  each  has  a  special  place 
where  its  color  will  not  hurt  more  delicate  shades 
or  be  hurt  by  them. 

There  are  delicate  filmy  flowers  like  Gypsophila, 
Galium,  and  Statice  and  tropical-looking  plants 
like  Yuccas.  There  are  all  kinds  of  Campanulas, 
Harebells,  Bell  Flowers,  and  Peach  Bells.  There  are 
all  kinds  of  spiked  flowers,  pyramidal  Foxgloves, 
spires  of  Larkspurs  and  Monkshoods,  Hollyhocks, 
and  coarse-leaved  Physostegia  with  spikes  _of 
gaping  flowers,  some  purple,  some  lilac,  some 
white.  There  are  sturdy  Anchusas  with  azure 
flowers,  decorative  Shasta  Daisies,  flat-headed 
Anthemis,  and  luxurious  Phloxes.  There  are 
feathery  plumes  of  Thalictrums  and  odd  Sea 
Holly  with  blue  thistle-like  globes  on  blue  stems 
with  spiny  blue-green  foliage. 

There  are  summer  wild  flowers,  Orange  Milk- 
weed from  the  sandy  roadsides,  white  Eupatoriums 
from  the  fields,  strong  yellow  Mulleins  from  stony 
hillsides,  and  delicate  Evening  Primroses.  Large 
white  Boltonia  asteroides,  tall  reddish  purple  New 
England  Asters,  and  sturdy  Yellow  Heleniums 
make  strong  autumn  color. 

There  are  all  kinds  of  annuals,  Ageratum  and 
Scabiosa,  white  Petunias  and  blue  Nigellas,  He- 

141 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

liotrope  and  Cosmos,  purple  Pansies  and  brilliant 
orange  Zinnias,  pink  annual  Larkspurs  and  salmon 
pink  Phlox,  lemon  yellow  and  orange  Marigolds 
and  Mignonettes,  Snapdragons  and  lovely  scented 
Stocks.  Pots  of  tender  flowers,  sweet  smelling 
Lemon  Verbena  and  Rose  Geranium,  are  plunged 
in  the  ground. 

It  is  a  place  for  old-fashioned  plants  and  favor- 
ites, flowers  of  odd  colors  and  curious  shapes.  It 
is  a  medley  of  color,  a  spot  full  of  fragrance.  Little 
surprises  are  at  every  turn,  unexpected  flowers  are 
found  in  hidden  corners.  There  are  blind  paths 
where  steps  have  to  be  retraced  through  little 
flower  tangles.  It  has  absorbed  in  a  very  short  time 
the  indescribable  old-fashioned  quality  of  a  colo- 
nial garden. 


142 


PROBLEM  XIV 


PROBLEM  XIV 

AN  OLD   PLACE   ON  LEVEL   GROUND — REDESIGNED,  BY 

CHARLES  N.  LOWRIE,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

This  property  is  located  at  Columbus,  Ohio.     Its  dimensions 
are  250  x  400  feet 

IT  becomes  more  and  more  necessary,  as  houses 
crowd  closer  together  in  a  city,  to  consider 
each  property  as  a  unit  in  itself,  and  to  dis- 
regard all  heterogeneous  outside  objects.  To  do 
this  satisfactorily  it  is  important  to  hide  the 
close  proximity  of  neighboring  houses.  The  mak- 
ing of  the  boundary  is,  therefore,  very  essen- 
tial. Here,  the  boundary  is  doubly  fortified.  A 
brick  wall  is  built  around  three  sides  of  the 
property  with  a  hedge  on  the  front,  for  a  green 
hedge  forms  a  much  pleasanter  boundary  along 
the  street  than  a  wall.  Inside  wall  and  hedge 
is  a  planting  of  trees  and  shrubbery  which 
disguises  their  stiff  lines,  gives  height  to  the 

145 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

enclosure,  and  affords  pleasant  variation  in  color 
and  form. 

The  location  of  the  old  house  and  of  existing 
trees  determined  the  development  of  the  front  part 
of  the  grounds.  The  attractive  lawn  on  the  east 
side  of  the  house  gains  its  interest  through  the 
careful  grouping  of  trees  and  the  good  shape  of  the 
curving  plantations  that  form  the  boundary.  On 
the  west  side  of  the  house  there  is  just  room  enough 
for  a  drive.  It  enters  from  the  street  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  property  and  curves  slightly  on  the 
way  to  the  porte-cochere.  This  is  an  excellent 
arrangement,  for  a  drive  on  a  small  property  ought 
to  be  merely  a  convenience  and  take  up  as  little 
room  as  possible.  It  plays,  however,  an  important 
part  of  the  layout  as  a  friendly  entrance  to  the 
house  and  is  to  be  as  attractive  as  good  lines  and 
planting  can  make  it. 

The  old  brown  stone  houses  of  the  seventies 
do  not  lend  themselves  happily  to  garden  set- 
tings, nor  was  there  then  any  understanding  of 
the  garden  as  an  intimate  part  of  the  house  so 
there  was  no  attempt  to  establish  the  new  garden 
near  the  house.  Happily  the  tall  growth  of  existing 
trees  that  help  to  make  the  garden  setting  hide 
the  house  from  the  garden.  The  only  connection 

146 


PROBLEM  XIV. 


THE  PLAN. 


CHARLES  N.  LOWRIE 

between  house  and  garden  is  a  curving  path.  This 
path  connects  with  two  other  paths  which  are  at 
right  angles  to  one  another,  a  short  east  and  west 
path  which  has  a  tea  house  at  its  eastern  end 
and  a  long  north  and  south  path  at  the  end  of 
which  the  pergola  is  seen  through  an  avenue 
of  flowering  Crabapples.  This  long  path  forms 
an  axis  line  through  the  center  of  the  property. 
The  separation  of  the  house  and  its  garden  and 
the  seeming  disregard  of  attempting  to  establish 
a  unity  between  the  house  and  the  layout  of  the 
grounds  is  explained  by  the  fact  that,  at  the  time 
the  grounds  were  developed,  it  was  the  expectation 
of  the  owner  to  remove  the  existing  house  and  to 
place  a  new  one  so  that  its  axis  line  would  conform 
to  that  of  the  centrally  located  path. 

This  long  path  divides  the  property  into  two 
equal  parts.  On  the  west  side  is  the  service  portion, 
the  road  to  the  garage,  the  hedge-bounded  vege- 
table garden,  laundry  yard,  and  the  orchard.  On 
the  east  side  is  the  social  part,  the  formal  garden 
with  its  rose  center,  the  tennis  court,  the  play 
lawn  with  its  fruit  trees,  the  tea  house,  and  the 
shady  informal  path  which  connects  tea  house 
and  pergola  and  then  with  a  curve  which  dis- 
guises entirely  its  intention  turns  into  the  court  in 

H7 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

front  of  the  garage.  It  is  an  essential  of  good 
planning  that  the  service  part  be  cut  off  and 
entirely  hidden  from  the  garden  and  yet  there 
should  be  easy  access  between  them.  In  fact 
it  is  essential  to  have  easy  communication  be- 
tween all  the  various  parts  of  the  grounds  and 
there  is  an  added  interest  if  in  the  leisurely  in- 
spection of  the  grounds  there  need  be  no  retracing 
of  steps. 

In  choosing  the  site  for  the  garden  it  is  interesting 
to  note  that  the  existing  orchard  and  old  trees  were 
not  disturbed.  In  order  to  relieve  the  flatness  of 
the  property  of  its  monotony,  several  slight  changes 
in  level  were  made  in  the  garden  design.  The 
Box  bordered  Rose  beds  in  the  center  help  to 
emphasize  the  sunken  garden  effect  and  the  peren- 
n;al  borders  around  them  form  a  transition  be- 
tween the  low  Roses  and  the  tall  trees  behind. 
All  the  main  paths  are  of  gravel  but  these  in  the 
formal  garden  are  of  grass.  Such  changes  inmate- 
rial  help  to  make  attractive  gardens.  The  seats, 
vases,  and  statues  in  the  garden  are  the  owner's 
own  collection  and  although  it  is  difficult  to  ar- 
range for  so  many  different  objects  so  that  they 
will  fit  together  the  simple  broad  formal  design 
of  the  garden,  the  simplicity  of  the  pool,  and  the 

148 


THE  LONG  PATH. 


PROBLEM  XIV.     No.  5. 


THE  PERGOLA. 


CHARLES  N.  LOWRIE 

frame  of  trees  make  a  quiet  setting  for  them.  The 
tea  house,  too,  is  built  in  a  dignified  classic  style 
for  this  reason. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  all  the  ornamenta- 
tion has  been  reserved  for  this  formal  garden  as 
it  is  the  center  of  attraction.  The  rest  of  the 
grounds  are  kept  quite  simple.  The  fruit  trees 
were  part  of  an  old  orchard  and  show  how  nicely 
such  existing  material  can  be  woven  into  the 
design.  The  pergola  is  the  center  of  interest  in 
the  orchard  and  it  forms  a  quiet  informal  loung- 
ing place.  It  is  built  in  a  simple  modern  style 
quite  different  from  the  tea  house.  Side  by  side 
in  the  same  garden  they  would  be  incongruous 
but  placed  as  they  are  in  no  connection  with  one 
another  they  both  fill  their  places  well. 

In  the  shrubbery  and  trees  that  bound  the 
various  subdivisions  there  are  many  interesting 
details  of  planting:  there  is  a  continuous  succession 
of  bloom,  much  contrast  of  foliage  texture  and 
bright  winter  color.  It  is  this  color  of  fruit  and 
branches  in  deciduous  plant  material  which  pro- 
vides so  much  of  the  winter  effectiveness  of  a 
garden  quite  independent  of  the  evergreens  that 
so  often  dominate  and  overbalance  it  but  here 
the  evergreens  have  been  used  sparingly  except  in 

149 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

the  boundary  plantings  where  White  Pines  and 
Hemlocks  make  a  permanent  screen  and  are  an 
effective  background  to  the  color  of  shrub  and 
flower. 


150 


PROBLEM  XV 


PROBLEM  XV 

A  HILLSIDE  PROPERTY  IN  A  NEW  ENGLAND  TOWN,  BY 

PRENTICE  SANGER,  LANDSCAPE  ARCHITECT, 

NEW  YORK  CITY 

This  property  is  located  at  Fitchburg,  Mass.    Its  dimensions 
are  300  x  600  feet 

THE  sharp  and  peculiar  double  tilt  of  the  prop- 
erty to  the  south  and  to  the  west,  the  dis- 
tant view  of  the  hills  to  the  southwest,  and  the 
position  of  house  and  barn  were  the  conditions 
which  determined  the  solution  of  this  problem. 
The  demand  for  a  garden  on  the  south  side 
necessitated  an  arrangement  of  terraces  to  suit 
the  steep  slope  and  the  northern  position  of  the 
kitchen  wing  and  of  the  new  garage  placed  on  the 
barn  foundations  determined  the  rearrangement 
of  the  drive. 

A  "home-ground"  is  an  organism  in  which  the 
subdivisions,  while  serving  their  own  peculiar 
functions,  are  united  into  one  harmonious  whole. 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

It  is,  therefore,  not  merely  a  problem  of  orna- 
mental planting,  as  it  is  often  supposed,  but  a 
solution  of  practical  conditions  molded  into  a 
skillful  design  and  supplemented  by  a  planting  of 
decorative  value. 

The  front  lawn  is  kept  quite  simple  and  in 
harmony  with  the  character  of  a  New  England 
town.  The  old  trees  just  inside  the  wall  which 
extends  along  the  street  give  abundant  shade 
and  a  finished  appearance  to  the  planting.  The 
stiff  line  of  the  wall  is  broken  by  masses  of 
Laurel  under  the  trees.  Two  old  Maples  for- 
tunately placed  on  either  side  of  the  entrance 
path  make  an  unusually  fine  setting  for  the  gate- 
way. The  tree  and  shrubbery  planting  which 
frames  in  the  south  side  of  the  lawn  disguises 
somewhat  the  steep  slope  and  has  an  added  value 
in  helping  to  enclose  the  flower  garden,  screening 
it  from  the  street. 

The  drive  is  a  frank  piece  of  necessary  construc- 
tion. It  takes  the  place  of  an  old  drive  which  had 
described  a  semicircle  in  front  of  the  house  with 
two  entrances  on  the  street.  This  had  made  a 
considerable  mass  of  gravel  not  pleasant  to  look 

i54 


PROBLEM  XV. 


THE  PLAN. 


PRENTICE  SANGER 

at  and  brought  the  drive  very  near  the  garden 
side  of  the  house.  Both  these  objectionable 
conditions  were  obviated  by  the  new  drive.  It  is 
on  the  extreme  northern  side  of  the  lot  so  that  it 
does  not  encroach  on  any  other  part  of  the  grounds. 
It  takes  up  the  least  possible  space  but  gives 
generous  room  for  turning.  It  is  in  close  and 
direct  communication  with  service  court  and 
garage.  Near  the  entrance  of  the  drive  on  the 
lawn  side  Prairie  Roses  and  prostrate  Junipers 
spread  their  branches  over  outcropping  rocks. 
On  the  other  side  the  pendant  branches  of  For- 
sythia  and  the  graceful  growth  of  Spiraea  bring  the 
taller  shrubbery  down  to  the  ground.  At  the  back 
a  trellis  divides  the  drive  from  the  service  court. 

It  is  always  well  to  screen  the  service  court  from 
the  rest  of  the  grounds  but  it  is  a  pity  to  hide  too 
much  a  building  so  charming  in  exterior  as  the 
garage.  It  is  not  often  that  we  find  so  much 
architectural  consideration  given  to  a  subordinate 
building  on  a  property.  The  garage  has  two 
entrances  and  ample  room  for  two  cars  besides  the 
usual  outfit  rooms.  The  barn's  stone  foundation 
upon  which  it  is  built  forms  good  storage  room 
below  and  provides  a  large  additional  space  in 
back,  on  the  garage  level,  for  an  open  balustraded 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

platform  useful  for  cleaning  the  machines.  The 
small  grove  of  old  White  Pines  is  especially  pic- 
turesque in  relation  to  the  garage  which  it  shades. 
The  service  court  is  also  used  as  a  laundry  yard. 
This  combination  is  excellent  economy  of  space  for 
small  properties. 

From  the  service  court  a  narrow  service  road 
runs  between  vegetable  plot  and  formal  garden  to  a 
side  entrance.  The  main  street  is  so  very  steep 
that  it  is  desirable  to  have  even  a  slightly  less  steep 
service  road.  The  rose  garden  is  treated  more  as  a 
cut-flower  garden  than  as  a  garden  for  ornamental 
purposes.  In  this  capacity  it  subordinates  itself 
to  the  main  garden  and  ranks  more  with  the 
vegetable  garden.  The  vegetable  plot  is  at  so 
much  lower  level  that  although  it  is  in  easy  com- 
munication with  the  rest  of  the  grounds  it  stands 
quite  apart.  The  service  road  and  the  steep  grade 
so  effectively  divide  the  vegetable  and  rose  gardens 
from  the  grounds  immediately  around  the  house 
that  while  they  are  molded  into  the  general 
scheme  it  would  be  quite  possible  to  omit  them 
entirely  without  losing  any  sense  of  the  general 
unity  which  the  arrangement  of  lawn,  drive, 
service  court,  and  garden  gives  to  the  grounds. 
The  extreme  western  portion  of  the  property — 

156 


ROBLEM    XV.       NO.    2. 


THE  TURN-AROUND. 


PROBLEM  XV.     No.  3. 


THE  SERVICE  COURT  AND  GARAGE. 


PRENTICE  SANGER 

only  partly  indicated  on  the  plan — is  again  at  so 
much  lower  level  than  the  vegetable  garden  that 
it  has  no  connection  at  all  with  the  "home- 
ground."  Houses  could  be  built  on  it  without 
disturbing  the  view  of  the  hills.  For  this  reason 
the  landscape  architect  advised  selling  this  portion. 
The  subdivision  into  lots  would  give  five  fifty- 
foot  lots  of  good  depth.  The  plot  is,  however,  not 
on  the  market  but  presents  at  this  time  a  forest  of 
baby  White  Pines. 

The  steep  slope  on  the  south  side  of  the  house 
became  the  site  for  the  garden.  Such  abrupt 
changes  in  level  put  strict  limitations  on  a  prop- 
erty but  they  are  welcome  factors  in  garden 
making.  In  making  use  of  such  a  property  a  series 
of  artificial  levels  becomes  necessary.  Terraces 
offer  great  variety  in  treatment,  but  in  their  mak- 
ing the  cost  of  digging  out  and  filling  in  of  soil  is 
a  practical  element  that  is  weighed  in  the  balance 
with  the  artistic  elements  of  the  design. 

Here,  the  highest  level  is  the  lawn  in  front  of 
the  living  room,  the  second  level  is  a  green  parterre, 
and  the  lowest  level  is  the  formal  flower  garden. 
Along  one  side  of  the  lawn  is  a  planting  of  Abies 
concolor,  Juniperus  prostrata,  and  Rosa  nitida. 

157 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

These  are  particularly  interesting  in  autumn  and 
winter  when  the  red  of  the  Rose  stems  makes  a 
contrasting  note  with  the  gray  green  of  the  Spruce. 
Juniperus  tameriscifolia,  one  of  the  numerous 
forms  of  the  prostrate  Juniper,  plays  a  delightful 
little  part  at  intervals  against  the  brick  steps  of 
the  piazza. 

Between  the  lawn  and  the  parterre  is  a  wall  sur- 
mounted with  a  balustrade.  Below  the  wall  is  a 
flower  border.  The  parterre  is  the  intermediate 
space  between  the  house  terrace  and  the  sunny 
flower  garden.  Three  stairs  with  accompanying 
paths  lead  down  through  it  to  the  garden. 

The  boundary  of  Abies  concolor  and  Rosa  nitida 
on  the  lawn  is  continued  with  Ghent  Azaleas 
against  Arbor  Vitae  on  the  parterre  and  with  Pyrus 
atrosanguinea  against  White  Spruce  in  the  garden. 
The  Hawthorn  hedge  which  encloses  three  sides  of 
the  garden  is  another  interesting  feature.  In  back 
of  the  Hawthorn  hedge  evergreen  and  deciduous 
trees  are  massed  into  a  heavy  plantation  and 
disguise  somewhat  the  irregular  slope  of  the 
ground  as  it  drops  away  from  the  garden  level. 
They  form  a  generous  boundary  for  the  garden. 
The  varying  green  of  White  Spruce,  Cedars,  Scotch 
Pine,  White  Pine,  and  Hemlocks  makes  a  pleasant 

158 


'ROBLEM  XV.     No.  5. 


THE  TERRACE  AND  THE  GARDEN. 


•ROBLEM  XV.     No.  6. 


THE  POOL. 


THE  SEMI-CIRCULAR  SEAT. 


PROBLEM  XV.     No.  8. 


THE  GATEWAY. 


PRENTICE  SANGER 

contrast  with  the  flowers,  while  the  flowering 
trees,  Amelanchier,  Redbud,  Dogwood,  Locust, 
Yellow-Wood,  Horse-Chestnut,  and  Catalpa,  add 
to  the  bloom  and  color  of  perennials. 

The  privacy  gained  by  a  good  enclosure  is  very 
essential  in  the  success  of  the  garden  as  an  out-of- 
door  room.  The  large  semicircular  seat  on  the 
west  side  of  the  garden  is  a  very  inviting  place  from 
which  to  view  the  flowers.  When  the  Hemlocks  at 
its  back  are  tall  enough  to  throw  the  shadow  of 
delicate  boughs  across  it,  it  will  grow  in  charm  and 
seclusion.  Opposite  to  the  seat  is  the  pergola. 
It  is  fortunate  in  its  position  in  front  of  the 
heavy  evergreen  planting.  As  soon  as  the  vines 
begin  to  cover  it,  it  will  sink  into  its  right  place 
and  be  a  shady  retreat  from  which  to  look  out 
on  the  sunny  flower  borders.  There  is  a  seat  op- 
posite the  central  stairway  to  the  garden.  It  is 
quite  delicate  in  effect,  especially  in  contrast  to 
the  large  seat.  It  is  rather  suggestive  of  an  indoor 
settee  while  the  large  seat  has  the  solidity  more 
frequently  found  in  stone  construction  than  in 
wood.  Careful  arrangement  of  seats  to  provide 
vantage  points  for  the  leisurely  inspection  of  the 
flowers  is  important  in  the  design  of  this  size. 

The  four  central  flower  beds  form  the  borders 


THE  SMALL  PLACE 

for  the  lawn  space  and  for  the  pool  in  its  center. 
The  oblong  shape  of  the  pool  conforms  with  the 
rectangular  outline  of  the  garden.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  the  pool  is  so  constructed  that  the 
grass  can  grow  to  the  very  edge  of  the  water.  The 
effect  is  particularly  good  in  preserving  the  sim- 
plicity of  the  lawn.  The  central  beds  are  com- 
paratively low  and  broad  in  appearance;  the  long 
side  borders  give  an  enclosing  high  effect. 

A  certain  balance  and  unity  in  the  flower  dis- 
tribution is  essential  for  a  formal  garden  but  the 
mixed  herbaceous  borders  give  a  welcome  infor- 
mality to  the  straight  lines  of  the  paths  and  beds. 
The  riotous  and  continuous  bloom  of  many  varie- 
ties is  very  effective  when  the  garden  is  viewed 
from  above  and  adds  an  interest  to  the  close 
inspection  of  the  flowers  when  one  comes  un- 
expectedly upon  scattered  groups  of  them. 

The  garden  is  an  intimate  part  of  the  house, 
especially  of  the  living  room.  Its  sheltered  posi- 
tion, its  comfortable  seats,  its  shady  nooks,  its 
bright  color  draw  one  out  of  the  room.  The  unity 
between  house  and  garden  is  so  close,  despite  the 
difference  of  level,  that  it  is  not  appreciated  that 
the  garden  was  built  first  and  the  house  then  re- 
built with  the  garden  in  view.  The  stereotyped 

1 60 


PRENTICE  SANGER 

arrangement  of  rooms  in  the  old  house,  necessary 
in  days  when  all  the  "best"  rooms  had  to  face  the 
street,  was  changed  so  that  the  large  homey  living 
room  could  face  upon  the  garden. 


161 


INDEX 


B 
Boundaries,  7,  20,  21,  29,  30,  49, 

55.  57.  65,  66,  75,  89,  97,  123, 

130,  145.  154.  158 
Bowling  green,  123 
Bulbs  in  the  flower  garden,  8,  68, 

in,    112,    113,    114,    115,    116, 

125.  133.  !34,  135.  HO 
Bulbs,  naturalized,  90,  95,  116 


Colonial  garden,  142 
Colonial  forecourt,  41 
Color  in  the  garden,  9,  68,  92,  no, 
125, 137 

D 

Doorway  garden,  41 

Drives,  4,  69,  96,  138,  146,  154 

Drying  yards,  see  Laundry  yards 


Entrances,  18,  30,  40,  64,  74 
Entrance  walks,  31,  74 
Evergreens,  5,  6,  9,  20,  21,  23,  30, 

33,  48,  49,  50,  51,  90,  92,  98,  99, 

130,  149,  154,  157,  158 
Evergreen  walks,  88,  90 


Ferns,  5,- 34 

Flower  gardens,  7,  23,  42,  58,  68, 

87,  102,  107,  no,  122,  132,  139, 

148. 157 


Flowers  along  walls,  40 

Flowers  and  shrubs,  12,  24,  79,  90, 

II3.H5 

Flowers  in  the  garden,  8,  9,  23,  24, 
25,  43,  68,  87,  102, 103, 107,  108, 
109,  in,  112,  113,  114,  115, 
125,  126,  127,  133,  134,  135, 
136,  137,  140,  141,  142,  159, 
1 60 

Flowers,  naturalized,  5,  n,  34,90, 
116 

Flowers  under  trees,  5,  34 

Flowers,  wild,  5,  34 

Forecourt,  41 

Fountain,  wall,  n 

Fruits,  small,  59,  78 


Garden,  Colonial,  142 
Garden  in  winter,  9,  25 
Garden,  outside,  36 
Garden,  wild,  12,  33,  34,  69,  102, 
139 

H 

Hedges,  30,  32,  64,  76,  86 

House  and  garden,  unity  between, 

128 
House  walls,  planting  along,  5,  21, 

22,  47,  56,  65,  74 


Laundry  yards,   20,   57,   70,   78, 
147. 156 


163 


INDEX 


Lawns,  7,  20,  22,  29,  32,  49,  56, 
65,  74,  75,  87,95,97,  100,  no, 
121,  139,  146,  147,  154,  157 


Paths  and  walks,  19,  33,  35,  58, 
77,  79,  88,  90,  95,  107,  132,  139, 
147 

Pools,  43,  87 

R 

Rock  plants,  12,  33,  79,  192 

Rocks,  56,  73,  79 

Roses,  31,  77,  78,  103,  no,  148, 

155, 158 

Roses,  climbing,  21,  42,  48,  64, 
66,  74,  79,  87,  1 10,  139 


Seats,  32,  43,  86,  88,  124,  132,  159 
Service  parts  of  the  grounds,  12, 

20,  57,  59,  70,  77,  78,  96,  147, 
155, 156 

Shrubbery  paths,  80,  81,  89,  91 
Shrubs  along  house  walls,  5,  6,  21, 

22,  47,  48,  66,  74 
Shrubs  along  walls,  5,  7,  40,  77 
Shrubs  for  lawn  enclosures,  7,  20, 

21,  22, 49,  56,  65,  66,  75,  97, 101, 

139,  H6 

Shrubs  in  boundaries  and  borders, 
5,  12,  20,  21,  48,  49,  50,  58,  66, 
67,  74,  80,  81,  99,  100,  101 

Shrubs  in  flower,  24,  50,  91,  92, 

113,115 

Shrubs  in  the  flower  garden,  9,  23, 
24,  in,  113,  115,  140 


Shrubs  in  fruit,  101,  102 
Shrubs  in  woods,  33,  34,  69 
Shrubs,  special  effects  with,  101, 

102,  157,  158 

Shrubs,  value  of  deciduous,  79,  149 
Specimens,  use  of,  18,  22,  24,  109 
Steps,  1 8,  32,  42,  64,  128,  158 
Steps,  planting  in,  33 


Terraces,  10,  31,  32,  76 

Trees,  as  individuals,  5,  n,  12,  19, 

40,  48,  65,  75,  78,  87 
Trees  in  boundaries,  48,  49,  50, 

75,    90,    98,  99,  112,  123,  130, 

150,  157,  158,  159 
Trees  in  the  flower  garden,  42, 

112,  115,  159 

Trees,  planting  under,  5,  33,  34, 

69 

Trees,  street,  65 


Vines,  6,  11,  40,  47,  57,  65,  66,  67, 

74,  77,  87 

W 

Walks,  see  Paths 
Wall  fountain,  1 1 
Walls,  3,  5,  10,  n,  18,  20,  40,  87, 

88,  122,  123,  145,  158 
Walls,  planting  on,  n,  40,  87,  123 
Wild  garden,  12,  33,  34,  69,  102, 

139 

Woods,  small,  33,  69 

Woods,  plants  for,  5,  33,  34,  69 


164 


Jl  Selection  from  the 
Catalogue  of 

C.  P.  PUTNAM'S  SONS 


Complete  Catalogues  sent 
on  application 


Success 
in  the  Suburbs 

By 
John  R.  McMahon 

IT.    41  Illustrations,    $2,00  net    By  mail,  $2.20 

Mr.  McMahon,  well  known 
from  his  articles  in  Country  Gentle- 
man and  other  prominent  publi- 
cations, gives  us  an  extremely 
practical  book  on  the  problems 
of  life  in  the  suburbs  —  from 
buying,  building,  or  remodeling 
the  house  to  the  care  of  garden 
and  animals.  Not  the  book  of 
a  visionary  "desk  expert,"  but 
one  by  a  man  who  has  himself 
solved  the  problems  involved. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


The  Art  of 
Landscape  Architecture 

Its  Development  and  Its  Application  to 
Modern  Landscape  Gardening 

By 

Samuel  Parsons,  Jr. 

Fellow  of  the  American  Society  of  Landscape  Architects 
Author  of  "  Landscape  Gardening/'  etc. 

8°.    48  Illustrations.    $3. 50  net.    By  mail,  $3. 75 

Mr.  Parsons,  to  whom  was  intrusted  the 
greater  part  of  designing  and  building  Central 
Park,  New  York  City,  and  who  designed  the 
great  i4Oo-acre  park  at  San  Diego,  Cal.,  has 
written  a  most  important  book  setting  forth  the 
underlying  principles  of  the  practice  of  landscape 
gardening,  and  to  sustain  the  exposition  of  these 
principles  he  cites  passages  from  at  least  one 
hundred  well-recognized  authorities  in  various 
ages  and  countries.  More  than  one  of  these 
authorities  have  never  been  translated  into 
English  and  others  are  to  be  found  only  in 
magazines  and  pamphlets,  and  even  these  often 
only  in  public  libraries. 

New  York    G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons    London 


1000 

Hints  on  Vegetable 
Gardening 

By 

Mae  Savell  Croy 

12°.     $1.50  net.     By  mail,  $1.65 

A  complete  guide  for  the  amateur 
gardener,  containing  many  hints  for  the 
old-timer  as  well.  In  this  volume  the 
author  has  included  instructions  with 
regard  to  all  the  vegetables  commonly 
supplied  to  the  markets.  Each  plant  is 
treated  individually  with  regard  to  soil, 
condition,  transplanting  and  thinning, 
cultivation,  watering,  insects  and  how 
to  get  rid  of  them,  together  with  recipes 
for  a  number  of  effective  spraying  solu- 
tions. The  vegetables  are  listed  alpha- 
betically, numbering  69  in  all,  and  in 
addition  there  are  chapters  devoted  to 
fruits,  large  and  small.  Suggestions  are 
given  on  how  to  care  for  the  trees  and 
vines  and  how  to  produce  the  largest 
fruits  and  berries  with  the  finest  flavors. 
The  author  even  touches  upon  nut  trees 
and  the  advantages  in  planting  them. 

G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


1000   Shorter  Ways 
Around  the  House 

A  Handbook  of  the  Home,  Its  Building,  Its 
Furnishing,  Its  Management 

By 

Mae  Savell  Croy 

12°.    $1.50  net.    By  mail,  $1.65 

"Indispensable  to  the  good  housekeeper. 
Its  concise,  useful  information,  covering  every 
phase  of  the  internal  regime,  is  arranged  under 
appropriate  headings  which,  even  without  the 
aid  of  the  comprehensive  index  that  is  sup- 
plied, guide  the  reader  to  the  facts  he  seeks. 
The  book  embraces  everything  from  the  erec- 
tion and  furnishing  of  the  home  to  its  main- 
tenance, according  to  the  highest  standards  of 
comfort,  cleanliness,  and  order.  For  every 
problem  and  emergency  the  author  offers  a 
solution." — Omaha  Bee. 


G.  P.  Putnam's  Sons 

New  York  London 


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